Normal Life
by bishouji88
Summary: *completed* it's about the escaflowne characters but they'r normal teenagers on earth.
1. Default Chapter

Chapter One: A rough beginning  
  
*ringing…ringing…*  
  
"What?…Oh no! I'm late for school again!" Hitomi cried as she jumped out of bed.  
  
It was a beautiful morning. The sun was shining bright and the birds were singing. Too bad Hitomi Kanzaki didn't have the time to enjoy it. She was too busy getting dressed, putting all her stuff in her duffel bag and running down the stairs. She had to miss breakfast if she was going to get to school on time.  
  
"*Sigh* if I'm late again I'll be sure to get kicked off the track team," she though out loud.  
  
"Good morning darling," Mrs. Kanzaki said to Hitomi as she came down the stairs, "breakfast?"  
  
Hitomi looked a lot like her mother. She had chestnut brown hair that gave of a light golden shine when in the sun and big green emerald eyes. Her long shiny legs matched her well-formed body very well. Even with her short hair, she was extremely beautiful.  
  
"No thanks. Gotta go mom, gonna be late for school," the 17 years old girl said as she ran out the door. "I might be late so don't wait for me, bye. love ya!"  
  
***  
  
"Yukari! Merle! Wait up!" screamed Hitomi as she ran down the street.  
  
Panting hard as she finally caught up with her friends.  
  
"Late again…" said Merle shaking her head disapprovingly.  
  
Hitomi stuck her tongue out.  
  
"Yeah, what were u doing? Dreaming again?" laughed Yukari.  
  
Yukari and Merle have been Hitomi's good friends ever since they were small. Along with their other friend Millerna, the foursome attended Gaea High (A/N: couldn't think of any other name…~_~'). Yukari had scarlet red hair and ruby eyes. She's very easy to get long with and is liked by everyone. Merle however had light pink hair and her large ground blue eyes made her look every young. Like they say, don't judge a book by it's cover because you certainly would not want to mess with her. When she's mad, Merle can become as fierce as a wild cat (A/N: hehe, isn't that ironic?).  
  
"Haven't you guys ever heard of over sleeping?" asked Hitomi a little annoyed.  
  
"Well it is the second time in a row this week…you sure your feeling fine?" asked Yukari worriedly.  
  
"I'm okay, don't worry, I guess the extra track practices are getting to me" she reassured her friends.  
  
*At school*  
  
"Hey guys!" Millerna shouted. "Your late again, the bell is going to ring in any minute and we won't have time to drool over the hot guys!" she added disappointed.  
  
Millerna is the tallest of the four. She is very well known throughout the school for her exquisite beauty. She has long golden blond hair and deep blue eyes.  
  
"Well sleeping beauty here decided to put in a few extra minutes today," Merle said pointing at Hitomi.  
  
Blushing slightly Hitomi said, "I was tried, but I'm not sleeping beauty!"  
  
"Hum…I wonder who's the prince she was dreaming of…" Merle said out loud, trying very hard 2 stop herself from giggling.  
  
"Allen!" the three girls shouted altogether then breaking into hysteric laughter.  
  
"Stop it! Guys! People will hear us!" warned Hitomi now blushing so hard she could feel her cheeks burn.  
  
All four of them knew that Allen has been Hitomi's long time crush. No body really blames her because Allen is truly gorgeous. His hair color matched the ones of Millerna but his eyes were light sky-blue. And of course, being the basketball captain of the school team and one of the hottest guys in school didn't hurt. Millerna and Allen once dated but after catching him cheating on her with her own sister, Millerna dumped him. That's part of why she's so famous in school. Millerna is the only girl who has ever had the guts to dump Allen Schezar.  
  
"So? That's our point," giggled Merle.  
  
Before Hitomi had the chance to reply the bell rang.  
  
'*Sigh* I have a feeling this is going to be one of those days…' thought Hitomi as she said goodbye to her friends.  
  
***So how do you guys like it? There's a lot more to come. Guess who Hitomi meets during her day? ^_^ anyways, hope you liked it, please review!*** 


	2. A Long Day

Chapter Two: A long day  
  
Running to catch her first period class, Hitomi suddenly bumped into someone hard. The impact made all her books fall to the ground.  
  
"Damn! Why isn't anything going my way today?" cursed Hitomi silently, dropping down to get her books.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, here I'll help with that," said a voice above.  
  
Hitomi look up to see who she dumped into. Standing in front of her was this gorgeous guy with dark black hair.  
  
'Wow, if I wasn't so obsessed with Allen, I'd say this guy is pretty cute,' she thought to herself. 'I don't think I've seen him around school, maybe he's new.'  
  
"Oh no, it's my fault. I should have been looking at where I was going." She replied. Seeing that the stranger was still staring at her she blushed heavily and added with a smile, "Hi, I'm Hitomi, Hitomi Kanzaki."  
  
"Huh? Oh! *laughs* I'm Van," said the guy. "I'm new to the school. Too bad we had to meet like this. Sorry, I'm kinda clumsy."  
  
"Oh no problem! It's not your fault," Hitomi said while giggling.  
  
*ringing!*  
  
"Oh shit! I'm late for class! I'll see you around Van!" she said running down the hall.  
  
***  
  
'Wow, that Hitomi girl is really something,' thought Van as he watched her run down the hall. 'Damn, I should be getting to class too, if I can only find where it is.'  
  
Getting up to walk away, he saw something that caught his eye. A small pink pendant was lying on the ground.  
  
'This must belong to Hitomi…I guess we will see each other around after all, Ms. Kansaki." With that Van ran down the hall to where he thought his next class might be.  
  
*In class*  
  
Hitomi entered the class quietly hoping the teacher wouldn't notice.  
  
"Ms. Kansaki," said Mr. Frek who was still writing on the board, "your late, care to explain why?"  
  
Hitomi mentally cursed at herself for being late than said out loud, "not really…"  
  
Finally turning to face her, the biology teacher said calmly, "Well than since this is you first time, you will not receive detention but I must warn you, second times will not be allowed. And if I'm not mistaken, the track team does not like their members to miss out on practices."  
  
"Yes sir, it will not happen again," quietly she went and took her seat by the window. 'Now I know why everyone hates him. God, talk about cranky…"  
  
*In the Cafeteria*  
  
"Hey guys!" Hitomi waved to her friends as she sat down at their usual lunch table.  
  
After greeting her, Yukari said something that made Hitomi's heart jump,  
  
"Um…Hitomi, what happened to your pendant?"  
  
"It's right here." She reached down to her chest where her grandmother's pink pendant usually lies. "Oh my god!" crying as she realized it wasn't there, "I lost it! This is shit! I can't believe this happened!"  
  
"Calm down," said Millerna slowly, "You probably dropped it some where. You'll find it, practically the whole school knows it belongs to you."  
  
"Yeah, I guess so…" she said than listened as her friends returned to their normal conversation.  
  
"Did you hear that Jake broke up with Kelly? They've been going out since forever," mentioned Merle, "but still not as long as Yukari and Amano."  
  
Yukari and Amano have been dating for 2 years (a school record) but Yukari still blushes whenever Amano is mentioned.  
  
Merle, along with Yukari works for the school newspaper. She usually knows the latest gossips about everyone.  
  
"I know!!!" cried Hitomi all of a sudden. "I must have dropped it when I bumped into Van!"  
  
"VAN?" cried Merle, "The Van Fanel?!?! The new guy?"  
  
"I guess, I don't know his last name, but I don't think Van is a common name around here. Why? Do you know him?" Hitomi said quietly noticing that people were staring at them.  
  
"*Laughs* know him, Merle practically worships him, and she never even talked to the guy." said Yukari giggling.  
  
Merle's cheeks turned into the color of her hair, "I don't worship him, I just think he's extremely hott..."  
  
"Wait, isn't he one of the MGM of Gaea?" questioned Millerna suddenly interested in the conversation.  
  
***Oh! What's a MGM? Wanna know? You'll have to wait and see. Hope you liked this chapter. R&R*** 


	3. The MGMs

Chapter Three: The MGMs  
  
"What's a MGM?" asked Hitomi confused.  
  
"MGM is this poll we had in for newspaper, which I might suggest you should read sometimes," Yukari said with a little hint of annoyance.  
  
"It stands for 'Most Gorgeous Man' of Gaea. We had the girls vote for the MGM and the guys voted for the MGW (most gorgeous woman)," finish Merle.  
  
"Well who won?" Hitomi asked.  
  
"There are 5 winners. Allen, of course, is voted most handsome. Folken, a senior, is voted most mysterious (A/N: in my story, Folken and Van aren't brothers). Amano…" Millerna stopping to give Yukari a teasing smile than continued, "is voted most sportive and kind. Dryden, another senior, is voted most charming and of course there's Van who is said to be the…"  
  
"Sexiest and sweetest," Merle finished for her.  
  
"Wow…he must really be something if he just came here and is already voted one of the hottest guys of the school," Hitomi started to say, "I can't believe they actually vote for this. What I can't believe even more is Millerna actually reads the school newspaper."  
  
Now was Millernas time to blush, "I read the dating section…"  
  
Giggling, Hitomi added, "Who are the MGW?"  
  
"*Giggles*, who else? Us of course!" answered Millerna.  
  
"US? You sure about that?" Hitomi said not believing her ears.  
  
"Hey, maybe you're not gorgeous but the rest of us are!" replied Merle joking, than added, "yes, sleeping beauty, us. I counted the votes myself. You're voted the most sportive. Millerna is voted most beautiful, no surprise there. Yukari is voted most charming and amiable. Me, I'm voted most mysterious. A person has to be extremely gorgeous to be voted MGM or MGW, so the different categories doesn't really matter."  
  
"Wait but isn't there supposed to be 5 girls? Who's the last one?" asked Hitomi taking a bite of her sandwich.  
  
"It's Selena," said Yukari who just finished her lunch. "You know, Allen's little baby sister. She's still a sophomore but who can resist a Shezar? She's voted the sweetest and kindest."  
  
"So if you see people staring at you in the halls, for once, it's not about your weird hair cut, it's because your one of the MGW" laughed Merle.  
  
"Haha, highly amusing Merle. I wonder, just how did you end up being a MGW? You probably voted 10 000 times for yourself." Hitomi shot back. Just before the two girls were about to start a catfight, a voice from behind stopped them.  
  
"Hey, um…does Hitomi Kanzaki sit here?"  
  
Seeing Merle's jaw drop, Hitomi figured it must be someone important. Turning around, she saw a familiar face.  
  
"Van! Hi! What are you doing here?" she said while getting up from her chair smiling.  
  
"Well, I came to bring you this," he showed her a delicate pink pendant. "I think you dropped this when we dumped into each other this morning."  
  
'Wow, no wonder he's one of the MGM, he's is really gorgeous,' thought Hitomi. "Oh, thanks! I thought I dropped it somewhere." Then seeing Merle's desperate eyes, she introduced him to her friends. "You can sit and have lunch with us if you want."  
  
"Have lunch with the 4 of MGWs of Gaea? I think I'll have even more trouble settling in if I sit with you guys. I bet the other guys would probably die of jealously." He said still smiling. "It's okay, I better go anyways. Catch you later!" he said giving one last smile to Hitomi and then waved at the other girls.  
  
"Bye," Hitomi said as she watched him jog away.  
  
"Wow! Is he FINE!" giggled Millerna, "Is he taken?"  
  
"Yes, by me," Merle said as she gave Millerna a 'back off' look and burst into laughter. "No he's single," said Merle finally, "but not if I can help it."  
  
"I admit he is good looking but I still think Allen is better," sighed Hitomi.  
  
"Honey, Allen is gorgeous but he's a jackass. Trust me, he's not worth it." Millerna said reassuringly.  
  
*ring…*  
  
"Oh great! I didn't even finish my lunch and I have a track practice tonight," Hitomi said extremely annoyed. (A/N: is it just me or does their lunch period seem kinda short?)  
  
"Don't worry, I'll bring you something to eat after practice. It won't be a big deal since Amano and I are going out anyways," Yukari said casually. "I just hope the team captain won't be all smelly and sweaty."  
  
"To think you'd be used to it by now," said Hitomi giggling. "Thanks Yukari, don't know what I'd do without you." And with that, Hitomi said goodbye to her friends as she left for her locker.  
  
***What's going to happen between Hitomi and Van? How's Merle going to react to it? More to come and maybe some scenes with Allen. R&R*** 


	4. First Meeting

Chapter Four: First Meeting  
  
"Hey, sleeping beauty!" a voice cried from behind Hitomi.  
  
'That voice can only belong to one person…' she thought as she turned around to face Merle. "Hi Merle, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I was just about to ask you the same thing," she said as she caught up with Hitomi, "don't you have track practice?"  
  
"It got cancelled, coach called in sick," answered the brown hair junior.  
  
"Oh, Yukari must be happy," giggled Merle. "So what are you doing now? Going home?"  
  
"I don't know," sighed Hitomi, "Mom isn't expecting me home yet so I guess I might hang out here for a while, run a few miles."  
  
"I know what you could do! Are you up for an adventure?" asked Merle happily.  
  
"…I don't know, last time you asked me to come on a adventure with you, I ended up pulling weeds from your moms garden…"  
  
"I'm sure you'll like this one, it has to do with Allen…" Merles said purposely making the MGM's name stand out. "So you up to it?"  
  
Seeing Hitomi silently nod she continued, "The newspaper wants me to do a report on the basketball team. I don't usually do sports articles but since Kyle has been sick for the last past week, I'm the only one who can fill his place. You know a hell lot more about sports than I do so maybe you can help me and in the same time, you can try to hit it off with the team captain."  
  
"*Slightly blushing* sure why not, I have an hour to kill anyways," responded Hitomi.  
  
*In the school gym*  
  
"Shezar!" yelled the basketball coach, "get over here! Some girls here to see you!"  
  
"Ah! Come on! I thought your fan club had the day off today," laughed one of his teammates.  
  
'Damn, what do they want now?' thought Allen to himself.  
  
As he walked towards the coach, his mood changed.  
  
"Allen these are Merle and Hitomi," the coach pointed towards two very hott girls. "They're here to ask some questions about the team for the school newspaper."  
  
'Well, well, well, these must be two of the MGW,' he thought to himself. "Hey, I'm Allen. It's a pleasure to meet two of the schools most gorgeous women," said the team captain to the two girls.  
  
"I'll be in my office," said the coach clearly annoyed.  
  
"So what can I help to two with?" Allen said giving off one of his famous smiles.  
  
"*Rolling her eyes* well I'll just get to the point," started Merle showing that she wasn't impressed with his charm, "How would you descried being the leader of such a successful team?"  
  
'Ouch, they should have name her the most feisty one.' Trying to hind his annoyance he said, "well it's a lot of hard work and requires determination but it's noting I can't handle." Then giving Hitomi a wink.  
  
"Hey pretty-boy! Hitting on the girls again?" asked his friend Gadeth. Then he saw Merle, ran his hand through his hair and waved, "Hey Merle!"  
  
"You know what?" Allen said to Merle, "why don't you interview bozo there," pointing to Gadeth. "He's the co-captain and this pretty lady here" looking at Hitomi, "will interview me."  
  
"My pleasure, later Hitomi," waved Merle as she walked towards the cute co- captain.  
  
***  
  
"So it's Hitomi right?" asked Allen as they walked out the gym to sit outside.  
  
"Yeah…"said Hitomi looking at the ground, 'oh my god, I'm such a dork! I finally get to talk to him and I don't even have the gust to look at him. He must think I'm this total loser.'  
  
"*Smiles*, I know I'm not that good looking but I thought that I was at lest better than dirt," said Allen with a chuckle.  
  
"Oh no!" said Hitomi blushing furiously. "It's not you, I…" she stuttered, "I don't work for the school newspaper… I just tagged along with my friend and I have no idea what kind of questions I should ask."  
  
"No problem, we don't have to talk about basket-ball," he replied simply. "So tell me about your self."  
  
"Me?" asked Hitomi nervously  
  
"Yes you, *laughs* I don't think I'm talking to any other beautiful girl around here," Allen said with a smile.  
  
Trying hopelessly not to blush, Hitomi started to talk normally again. They talked about life, their hobbies, their likes and dislikes.  
  
'Wow, I can't believe I actually sitting here, having a long conversation with Allen! The one and only Allen Shezar! If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up!' she thought smiling to herself.  
  
***Olala…how's that for a first meeting? What do you think? I tried not to make Allen act like such an asshole. If you're an Allen fan, I suggest you stop reading cuz you never know what he might do in future chapters. Anyways, as always R&R*** 


	5. Ride Home

Chapter Five: Ride Home  
  
*Beep-beep, beep-beep, beep-beep*  
  
"Oh no!" cried out Hitomi.  
  
"What's wrong Hitomi?" asked the very handsome boy beside her.  
  
"I'm sorry Allen, I got to go, my mom is expecting me home any minute and it's a 10 minute jog home," she answered. "It was great finally getting to meet you," she waved goodbye as she jogged away.  
  
"Hold up pretty-girl!" Allen yelled out, then run towards her, "you not getting away from me this easily."  
  
"What?" asked Hitomi confused.  
  
"Well I'm the reason why your late right?" he said with a smile, "at least let me drive you home."  
  
"I don't know…" said Hitomi, "I…"  
  
"Hitomi!"  
  
She stopped hearing someone yell out her name.  
  
"What are you still doing here?" asked her friend Merle who was walking up with Gadeth. "You're supposed to be home! Hurry up, Gadeth will give you a ride home since he's dropping me off."  
  
"Merle, Allen offered to drive me home already," she said blushing.  
  
"Well, if you prefer to got with Merle, then I guess I'll just catch up with you another time," said Allen.  
  
Merle said suddenly, "No! I just remembered… Gadeth and I are going … somewhere so we can't give you a lift."  
  
"We are? I though you said that you didn't want to go out with me?" asked Gadeth scratching his head.  
  
"I said that?" laughing nervously, Merle said, "no, silly, you must have heard me wrong…"  
  
"Okay, so it's settled, come on Hitomi, my car is over there," pointing over to the school parking lot, Allen started to walk away.  
  
"Thank you so much," Hitomi mouthed to Merle knowing that she didn't have any plans with Gadeth.  
  
***  
  
"Just turn left here," pointed Hitomi. "Okay here we are," she said as they arrived at her house, "thanks a lot for the ride, I really appreciate it. I'll see you around school."  
  
"Wait!" said Allen as he grabbed onto her wrist, "I didn't do all that work for nothing."  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked confused.  
  
'Man, she is really that clueless?' Allen thought to himself, 'I guess I'll just have to make my move.' "This," he said out loud as he leaned forward towards Hitomi.  
  
Before she could resist, Allen had his lips on hers and was kissing her hard. Slowly, he began to part her lips with his tongue. Hitomi backed up all of a sudden.  
  
"I think that's enough for one day," she said blushing, "thanks again for the ride and I'll see you around."  
  
'Great all that work and this is what I get," Allen thought as he watched her enter her house. 'She's probably just shy, I'll just have to be patient for once,' he comforted himself, 'but the question is, is she worth the time?'  
  
***  
  
At that moment, Hitomi was completely unaware of what Allen was thinking because she was on cloud nine. 'I can't believe he kissed me! Wait till the girls here about this!!! It wasn't what I pictured a first kiss would be but still, he kissed me!!!'  
  
"Hi mom!" she waved happily as she entered the kitchen. "Can I help with anything?"  
  
"Wow, some one is happy today, did you set a new track record again?" asked her mom smiling. The good mood her daughter was in made her completely forget that Hitomi was late.  
  
"It's just been a great day," Hitomi smiled, "so is there anything I can do?"  
  
"No thanks darling, dinner is almost ready," replied Mrs. Kanzaki.  
  
"Okay, well I'll be in my room if you need anything!" Hitomi raced up the stairs.  
  
Entering her room, the first thing she did was drop all her books and dash towards the phone. 'Okay, lets see. Yukari is out with Amano, Merle is probably somewhere with Gadeth. So that leaves Millerna, she probably won't be to happy to hear about this though…" Hitomi thought to herself as she dialed Millerna's private number.  
  
*Ring…ring…*  
  
"Hey, it's Millerna here! You caught me in a bad time so leave a message and I'll call you back when I feel like it! Chiao! Beep!"  
  
"Hey Mel! You would not believe what happened to me today. *Giggles* Well, Merle dragged me along to this interview with the school Basketball team and guess who ended up getting a ride home from the team captain? *More giggles* and that's not the only thing she got, well call me back and I'll give you the full details." 'I wonder how the other are going to react to this," she thought to herself as she hanged up the phone.  
  
"Dinner!" yelled Hitomi's mom from down stairs.  
  
"I'm coming!" cried Hitomi.  
  
*** I'm sorry if my chapters are kinda short, I don't really have the time to write a lot so I'm trying the best I can. I was reading my reviews the other day and some readers wanted me to added Dilandau to the fic. I have him as Serena but if it really means that much to you guys, I'll think of something and maybe make those to into two different people. Please R&R*** 


	6. Worries

Chapter Six: Worries  
  
"He really kissed you?" asked Merle the next day in the cafeteria, "oh girl, you owe me big time!"  
  
"Yup," Hitomi replied smiling. Ever since yesterday when Allen kissed her, Hitomi hasn't been able to stop smiling.  
  
"I'm so happy for you! Maybe we can double date sometime," giggle Yukari.  
  
'Should I tell her that Allen intends to rush when he's out with a girl?' thought Millerna quietly, 'I don't want to burst her bubble cause I don't remember the last time I've seen her this happy, but still…"  
  
"Do you think he's going to ask you to the dance?" questioned Merle.  
  
"Of course he is! He kissed her! If that doesn't mean he likes her, than I don't know what does!" Yukari giggled even more.  
  
'If only you knew…'sighed Millerna, while listening to the conversation.  
  
"There's a dance? When?" exclaimed Hitomi, "why aren't I ever informed about anything that goes on?"  
  
"Because you never read the school paper!" Merle and Yukari yelled at the same time.  
  
"Oh oops," blushed Hitomi, "Mel, you're not saying much to day. What do you think of this whole thing?"  
  
'If I tell her, she might think I'm jealous, which I'm not. I dumped him and I don't regret it. I just don't want her to get hurt-'  
  
"Hello??? Earth to Millerna?" Merle waved her hands in front of Millerna's face.  
  
"What? Oh!" finally realizing that she was staring into space, "sorry, what were you guys saying?"  
  
"I said what do you think of this whole situation with Allen, I mean, you've dated him, you should know a lot more than I do," said Hitomi casually while popping a grape into her mouth.  
  
"I…I don't know…" said Millerna nervously, 'change the subject, please, someone, change the subject!!!' she pleaded in her mind.  
  
"Wait I just thought of something!" Merle almost screamed, "I'm the only one here that doesn't have a date for the dance!"  
  
'Thank god for Merle's big mouth!' prayed Millerna.  
  
"Hey! I was asking a question, thanks for interrupting!" Hitomi glared at Merle but then quickly returned back to smiling. It seemed that nothing could ruin her good mood today.  
  
"Why don't you ask Van since you're so obsessed with him?" asked Yukari.  
  
Blushing hard Merle answered quietly, "he doesn't even know me, plus, I don't ask guys out."  
  
"You can always go with Gadeth," Hitomi giggled.  
  
Merle made a face and said, "yuck, Gadeth?"  
  
"Well everyone knows he's crazy about you, and he's not bad looking neither," Millerna said finally joining in the conversation.  
  
"I never said he's ugly, but his not my type," Merle said blushing. "Hey I know how you can repay me Hitomi!" she then said out of the blue, "Fix me up with Van!"  
  
"What?" asked Hitomi, "how can I do that? I don't even know the guy!"  
  
"You know him better than I do! Please?" she said with huge puppy dog eyes.  
  
"*Sigh*, I'll see what I can do…" Hitomi answered.  
  
"You will? Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!!!" Merle jumped up happily, giving Hitomi a big hug.  
  
'*Sigh* it seems that everyone is happy except me; I don't even have a date to the dance yet…to think, Millerna Sara Aston doesn't have date to the school dance. Boy, that's would make front page on the school paper. Maybe I should stop worrying about Hitomi and concentrate on my own love life, and maybe Allen did changed. Damn I sure hope he did…' thought Millerna as she listened to the girls talk about what they are going to wear to the dance.  
  
***  
  
"So who are you going to ask to tonight's dance?" Dilandau asked Allen in the hallway.  
  
"I don't know yet, it seems that I've dated every good looking girl in this school," the blond boy answered with a chuckle.  
  
"What about that cutie you were with yesterday during bball practice?" his friend said with a grin. "She got a fine body."  
  
"Hitomi," Allen said with a weird tone, as if debating on if he should ask her, "I guess I'll ask her. She's the only MGW that's available right now. That Merle girl would probably scratch my eyes out if I got within two feet of her."  
  
"Dude, this is a first, a girl who can't stand Allen," Dilandau said laughing, "Wait, that is if you don't count that Millerna babe. Man, seems to me that you're losing your touch."  
  
"Shut your asshole! I don't see you with a date to the dance, plus, you're not even a MGM."  
  
"Like I give a shit. That stuff is gay and you know it. I might be considering asking your lil sis to the dance though."  
  
"You better not try anything with her! Or I'll beat the shit out of you. She my only baby sister and no one messes with her!" warned Allen.  
  
"Yo, chill out! I'm not going to rape her or anything. By the way, if you're going to ask that Hitomi babe out, here's your chance," he said pointing towards Hitomi who was walking up with Millerna. "I'd ask her now before she's taken too," Dilandau said walking away before Allen could pound him.  
  
***Okay, so I added Dilandau. He's only has a minor role. ^_^ Next up, is Allen going to ask Hitomi out? *** 


	7. Complications

Chapter Seven: Complications  
  
"Yo Hitomi!"  
  
The brown haired girl saw Allen waving at her and a huge smile appeared on her face. 'This is it. He's going to ask me.' "Go ahead Mel, I'll catch up with you later," she said to her friend who was walking with her to class.  
  
"Okay…" Millerna replied. "Hitomi…"  
  
"Yeah? What's wrong?" she questioned.  
  
"Um…never mind, good luck." Her friend said quickly, then, walked away.  
  
'I wonder what's wrong with her today, she's acting all weird.' Hitomi turn her attention back to Allen, who was walking towards her.  
  
"Hey you," she smiled.  
  
"I wanted to talk to you," Allen said as he gave her one of he's famous smiles, "you doing anything tonight?"  
  
"Now that you asked, maybe I am," she replied, surprised at her own words.  
  
Allen smiled and continued, "Great I'll pick you up at 6 for the dance. I gotta get to class, I'll call you." Giving her a quick peck, he walked away.  
  
'Wow, that was fast, at least I got a kiss," she smiled happily walking to class.  
  
***  
  
"Attention classe! On a un nouveau étudiant." (Attention class! We have a new student) Hitomi's French teacher said. "Je suis sure que vous le connaissez déjà. Je comprends qu'il est très populaire avec les filles,(I'm sure you all know him already. I understand that he's very popular with the girls)" he added with a smile.  
  
'Great, another new person. Hope this one can at least speak a little bit French.' Hitomi thought as she sat in her French 5 class. Lately, they have been receiving many new students because French 4 was becoming over crowed.  
  
"Alors, qu'est-ce que vous attendez? Entrer monsieur!(So what are you waiting for, enter!)? " He said to someone outside the door.  
  
Hitomi was surprised to see a familiar person enter. 'I didn't know that Van takes french…" she thought to herself as she watched him walk up to the front of the room.  
  
"Alors, je vous presente monsieur Van Fanel (I present to you, Van Fanel)." Mr. LaFortain said to the class. "Voyons, où est-qu'on va te placer? (Let's see, where should be place you?)"  
  
Many hands went up, girls signaling the teacher to place Van beside them.  
  
"Ah oui, à coté de madmoiselle Kanzaki, S.V.P. (Ah yes, next to miss Kanzaki please.)" the teacher directed the 5th MGM to the seat next to Hitomi. A clear "aww" of disappointment could be heard from the other girls.  
  
"Mr. LaFortain is right, you are popular with the girls," Hitomi said to Van as he sat down beside her.  
  
As it turned out, Van spoke French perfectly, even better than Hitomi. It wasn't until after class that Hitomi got to speak to him again, that is after the group of excited girls finally gave him enough space to sneak away.  
  
"Man, are those girls always that crazy?" Van asked as they walked out of school. French was the last period of the day and Van offered to walk Hitomi home. Considering all the books she had to carry, Hitomi gladly accepted. 'It will give me a chance to fix him up with Merle," she thought to herself.  
  
"No, only around the most gorgeous guys," Hitomi giggled.  
  
"Oh so you think I'm good looking?" he asked with a playful smile.  
  
Hitomi blushed, realizing what she just said. "So where did you learn to speak French?" she asked changing the subject.  
  
"My family moves a lot, I think it's safe to say that we've practically lived all around the world. My parents are architectures and they like to travel." He said with a laugh, "and of course, I have to tag along. I also speak Spanish, Italian, German and Japanese."  
  
"Wow…so what made you guys come here? I seriously don't think you can find any lost cities or huge dinosaur bones in this small town," Hitomi joked.  
  
"*Laughs* my parents have always been fascinated with Atlantis, but after years of searching, they've decided to settle down." Van replied.  
  
"Don't you feel bored? I'm mean, after traveling the world, a small town like this would seem extremely boring."  
  
"Nah, I like it here," he said simply, then turning to face Hitomi, he added, "plus it is home to the most beautiful looking girl I've ever seen."  
  
Hitomi blushed really hard, 'I hope he doesn't mean me…'  
  
"Listen I've been meaning to ask you," he continued, "it's a little short noticed but as you might have heard, there's a dance tonight and I was wondering if you wanna go with me."  
  
'Oh no! What have I done? I didn't mean to give him the wrong idea by letting me walk me home! Damn you Hitomi." she mentally cursed at herself.  
  
"Van…I…I'm…going with someone already…" she managed to say.  
  
"Oh…I'm sorry, I should have known," he said disappointedly.  
  
"I'm so sorry Van, Allen asked already and-" Hitomi tried to say but got cut of.  
  
"Allen…isn't he the captain of the football team? That really popular guy?"  
  
"Yes," Hitomi said, "I mean, no! I…I'm sorry."  
  
"No, it's not your fault, I should have known that you'd be taken already," he said silently. By now, they have stopped walking. They just stood there not saying a word.  
  
"Hey, I know a friend who would love to go with you though," Hitomi said breaking the silence.  
  
Van turned around to meet her eyes. Those beautiful deep dark blue eyes were now filled with emotions that she couldn't understand. (A/N: kinda like when he saw Allen and Hitomi kiss on the bridge. Sniff sniff.)  
  
'Damn! You're so stupid!!!' Hitomi screamed in her mind, 'you just turned him down and now you have to make him feel worst by making him feel like he's some kind of toy that you don't want anymore and you're passing it on to a friend. Stupid, stupid, stupid.'  
  
"It's okay," Van managed a sad smile. "I gotta go, I'll catch up with you later." With that he turned around and jogged down the street leaving Hitomi standing there all alone.  
  
***Sniff sniff, so sad…poor Van…hoped you liked it. Next up, the dance. As always, R&R*** 


	8. The Dance

Chapter Eight: The Dance  
  
"You look great!" Yukari said to Hitomi as she made her way towards her friends. She was wearing a long green spaghetti strapped dress; it brought the color of her eyes out very well. She also had a thin gold necklace around her neck, which made it appear even longer than usually.  
  
"Thanks so do you." She replied smiling. Yukari had on a short blue skirt that showed off her legs every well and on top, she had a white tank top. Yukari always had the talent of making simple things look great.  
  
"So where's prince charming? Aren't you here with him?" asked another pretty girl standing beside Yukari.  
  
"Hi Merle, you're dressed to kill, as always," Hitomi replied trying to ignore the hint of annoyance in her friends voice. Merle wore a black leather mini skirt and a light pink tub top that was under an unbuttoned see through white blouse. Surprisingly, the ensemble made her look extremely hott but not even a bit slutty. "He's over there talking to his friends," she answered the question pointing towards the corner where the jocks usually hanged.  
  
"Amano is with Gadeth getting us a drink." Yukari said while moving to the beat of the music.  
  
"I didn't know you came with Gadeth, Merle" Hitomi said while still looking at Allen. '*Sigh* is he going to stay there all night'  
  
"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T KEEP YOUR PROMISE!" Merle screamed out. Lucky, the music was very loud, only the people around them could hear her scream.  
  
"I didn't promise you anything!" Hitomi shot back confused.  
  
"You said you'd hook me up with Van!" she said calming down a bit, "I waited till the last minute for your call then I gave up and called Gadeth. I felt so embarrassed calling him right when he was going out the door!"  
  
"I didn't say that I'd hook you guys up tonight!!! I said I'd try, I didn't mean right away."  
  
"Okay calm down, it's a big misunderstanding. Lets just forget it and try to enjoy ourselves," said Yukari.  
  
"What's a big misunderstanding?" asked Amano who just walked up with Gadeth.  
  
"Lets go dance," Merle said while grabbing Gadeth by the arm and walking towards the dance floor.  
  
"Um…nothing, you guys have fun, I'm going to go see what Allen is up to," with that Hitomi walked away without saying another word.  
  
***  
  
'She just had to make me feel worst didn't she?' Hitomi thought to herself as she tried to make her way through a crowd of people, 'damnit! This is supposed to be my night! I'm supposed to be happy and spending the whole time in Allen's arms. Instead, here I am, alone, feeling horrible about what happened with Van, Merle is pissed at me and I don't even know where the hell my date is!!!'  
  
"Hey baby, wanna dance?" a weird looking guy ask Hitomi, breaking her thoughts.  
  
"Go hump a tree!" she yelled at him.  
  
"Touchy, touchy…" he said shacking his head, "I was just being nice," he added while moving closer to her, "you're not supposed to snap at people like that, and now, you have to make it up to me." Hitomi tried to move away but the guy caught her by her wrist.  
  
"Let me go, you freak!" she screamed trying to break free. 'This is not happening to me!' Hitomi closed her eyes, as if afraid to see what he might do to her.  
  
"You heard the lady, get you hands of her!" said a voice from behind.  
  
"I was just trying to get to know the girl, I'm not hurting her or anything," the guy objected.  
  
"I said let her go!" the voice said again, this time more aggressively.  
  
"Fine I'm going." Hitomi felt her wrist being freed from the grip. Slowly she opened her eyes to see who helped her.  
  
"*Gasp* Van!" she almost cried.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked with his voice full of concern.  
  
"Yeah…I'm fine," Hitomi said avoiding his eyes. "Thanks…"  
  
"No prob, you sure you don't need anything?" he reached out his hand to touch her arm.  
  
"No, I'm fine…"  
  
"Hey! Get your hands off my date!" she heard someone yell out. Turning around, she see saw Allen jogging up towards her.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" Allen yelled at Van, while removing his hand from Hitomi.  
  
"Allen…Van is a friend…"Hitomi said quietly afraid Allen might hurt Van. "He just came to helped me."  
  
"Is that so?" Allen said looking at Van suspiciously, "looks to me like he's helping himself to you." By now, people have stopped dancing to watch what was going on.  
  
"Please Allen, stop…" Hitomi pleaded, trying to hold back tears.  
  
"Ah…I think I'm going to go" Van said quietly.  
  
"I think that's a good idea," Allen replied coldly.  
  
"I'll see you around," Van said to Hitomi.  
  
"Not if I can help it!" Allen said. The music has stopped now; everyone was watching to see what Van would do.  
  
"Whatever…" the black hair boy said walking away.  
  
"Don't you whatever me!!!" Allen snapped, putting his fist up, ready to hint Van.  
  
"ALLEN! STOP!" screamed Hitomi breaking into tears. "I want to go home."  
  
"But baby, the dance just started," turning around to look at her.  
  
"I think you better take her home now," Van said with his voice still tranquil, "if you don't, than I will."  
  
There was a long moment of silence. Hitomi could see Millerna among the crowd. Millerna was saying something to her but Hitomi couldn't hear a thing. The only words she heard were "Grab your coat and lets go," coming out of Allen's mouth.  
  
***Very dramatic chapter…I'm in a weird mood today…anyways, hope you guys liked it. Thanks a lot for the reviews, this is my first fic so everything you guys write really means a lot to me. I'll try to keep everyone happy by adding the characters that you guys like. Something times I'll do it, and other times I might not. It depends if there's a good role for them. But I'll try. Anyways, keep reviewing and I'll keep writing! ^_^*** 


	9. Hurt

Chapter Nine: Hurt  
  
"Baby, I'm sorry about tonight," Allen started as they arrived at Hitomi's house. They didn't say a word during the whole ride mainly because she was still shocked about what happened. "I should have been there, I just went over to say hi to some friends and guess I got carried away…" he finished. Hitomi was still not saying a word. "Can we kiss and make up?" Allen asked hopefully.  
  
After a long moment of silence she answered, "No, we can't…I…I don't think we should see each other any more Allen…"  
  
'No way! She cannot be dumping me. After what happened tonight, I'd be the laughing stock of the whole school. Could I really be losing me touch?' Allen panicked. "Baby I'm really sorry, please let me make it up to you, I really like you and I think we can have something special." (A/N: god is he corny or what? ~_~;)  
  
Hitomi slowly turned her head to face Allen, from the look on her face; he could tell that he had won. "I have to go," she said almost smiling, "I'll see you around."  
  
"I'll call you!" Allen cried out to Hitomi as she walked into her house. 'I'll show that Van, no one steals a girl from Allen Shezar!' he thought smiling to himself.  
  
***  
  
"Are you okay?" a very handsome guy asked Millerna as they were dancing to a slow song.  
  
"I'm fine Dryden, *sigh*, I'm just worried about my friend Hitomi," the blond girl reassured her date.  
  
"If you want, I can take you home and you can call her or something," he asked deeply concern.  
  
"It's okay, I'll call her later, I don't want to ruin our date," she replied smiling. 'He is very charming and considerate and, He knows how to treat a girl. Allen can sure take a few pointers from him. *Sigh*, I really hope Hitomi is okay…' Millerna thought as she snuggled closer to Dryden.  
  
***  
  
"Honey, your home early," Mrs. Kansaki said to her daughter as she entered the living room. "Did you have a good time? You don't look too well."  
  
"I'm fine mom," Hitomi said while walking up to give her mom a hug. "I'm going up stairs to take a bath."  
  
"Okay," her mom answered still looking worried. "Honey, if you need anything, you know I'm always here," she added comforting Hitomi. The young woman replied by giving her mom a warm hearted smile.  
  
***  
  
'Ah…it sure feels good to take a long hot bath after what happened tonight,' Hitomi thought was she lied in her bathtub. 'I can't believe they have creeps like that in our school, they should be expelled!… I don't know what would have happened tonight if Van wasn't there. Van…Allen…god, my head hurts from just thinking about them but I'm still really glad he decided to come to the dance. Allen can really be a jerk sometimes… but he does seem like he cares about me and I've waited too long for this to just let it drop without trying. I mean, no one ever said love would be easy. (A/N: HA! like she knows…*ggls*) Damn, I hope Merle isn't still pissed at me, it's not like I asked Van to like me. Oh no! Does she even know about that? If she does than she might think the reason I didn't fix them up is because I like him too. *Sigh* When did my life become this complicated? All I wanted was to be with Allen and be happy. Now, one of my best friends is really mad at me and the whole school is probably talking about what happened tonight. It's going to be some hell of a day tomorrow…'  
  
*The next day at school*  
  
Hitomi has just finished lunch and was walking back to her locker. 'Just as I thought, Merle is still mad and everywhere I go, people are staring at me. Well at least I've been able to avoid Van all morning. I'm going have to face him sooner or later considering he sits next to me in French…' Hitomi thought to herself as she gathered her books for her next class. Suddenly, a figure distracted her from her thoughts. 'Oh no! Not now!' Coming down the hall way was Van. He looked extremely good in his sleeveless red shirt.  
  
"Hey" he said quietly as he approached her.  
  
"Hi," Hitomi greeted him back, "so…" Hitomi was thinking very hard on what should say. It was hard considering the fact that she didn't even know if she should to start a conversation. "I want to thank you for last night and apologized for Allen. He can be really stubborn at times-"  
  
"You don't need to thank me, it was no big deal but for the Allen part, you shouldn't be apologizing for him. He shouldn't have left you alone; I mean you were his date weren't you? It was his responsibility to take care of you. You're drop-dead gorgeous and if you were mine I'd make sure-" he stopped quickly, realizing what he just said. "I'm sorry, it wasn't supposed to come out that way…"  
  
"It's okay," Hitomi said feeling very uneasy. "Look, I have to get to class, Allen is waiting for me…"  
  
"So you're still dating him?"  
  
"Yeah…I talked to him and he's not going to bother you anymore. I told him that there's nothing going on between us and that we're just good friends."  
  
"Is that really how you feel?" Van asked looking hurt.  
  
"Yes," she replied firmly, although she was shaking inside. "I really hafta go, I'll see you around," Hitomi said walking away.  
  
"Wait!" she heard him call out. She slowly turned around, afraid to hear what he was about to say.  
  
"Just tell me one thing Hitomi," he started slowly, "tell me why is it you date him."  
  
She was shocked by this question, 'out of everything, why did he ask that?' she wondered. She thought for a moment, finally she said the only thing she could, "I don't know…" It was true; she was unable to think of any reason. Before Van had a chance to reply, the bell ran and Hitomi walked away rapidly, afraid of looking back.  
  
Van just stood there and watched her walk away…  
  
~Do you want me…  
  
Like I want you,  
  
Or am I standing still  
  
Beneath the darkened sky,  
  
Or am I standing still  
  
Out of the corner of my eye…  
  
Was that you that pasted me by~  
  
~Jewel, Standing Still  
  
***Sad isn't it? ~Sigh! Don't worry, incase I haven't mentioned it before this is a V&H fic so that's not the last you'll hear of him! ^_^ Hope you liked it. Next up, what happens when the French class is sponsoring a play? What play will it be and who will get the lead parts? Hint: it's not Romeo and Juliet. I personally think it's dumb how whenever there's a play, it always seem to be the one. I'm not saying it's bad (I love Romeo and Juliet) but I think people should be a lil original once in a while; it gets kinda boring when everyone is doing the same thing. don't ya think? Ne ways, I'll leave you here, if I don't I probably won't be able to shut up. ^_^ As always, R&R!!! 


	10. Surprising News

Chapter Ten: Surprising News  
  
"Alors classe (So class)," Mr. LaFortain said that afternoon, "J'ai un petit projet à vous proposer (I have a small project to propose)."  
  
"Non!!! (No!!!)" the class cried out.  
  
"Écoute à ce que j'ai à dire avant de répondre, (Listen at what I have to say before answering)" he said with a little bit of annoyance. "Comme vous savez tous, la fin de la semestre va bientôt arriver. Au lieu d'un examen, qu'est-ce que vous dites de faire une pièce do théâtre (As you all know, the end of the marking period is arriving soon, but instead of a major test, what do you think about doing a play)?"  
  
The class was silent. Hitomi didn't know if they were considering about this proposal or if they just simply didn't understand a single word the teacher said.  
  
"Um, Monsieur LaFortain (um, Mr. LaFortain)?" she asked raising her hand.  
  
"Oui mademoiselle Kanzaki, avez vous une question (Yes, miss Kanzaki, do you have a question)?"  
  
"I think it's a great idea, but what play are we going to do?" she asked forgetting that she was supposed to be speaking in French.  
  
"We're doing a play?!?!" a girl cried out.  
  
"Yes Megan. May I remind you that we are to speak Français in this class. If you do not understand something, then you may ask for me to repeat it in English," the teacher answered while taking about a book from his desk. "And now to answer Miss Kanzaki's question, the story is going to be Cyrano de Bergerac. Now does anyone know what that story is about?"  
  
Hitomi saw the person beside her raise up his hand.  
  
"Yes, Van"  
  
"Cyrano de Bergerac is about this Frenchman Cyrano who is deeply in love with a beautiful women name Roxane." Van started to explain. "Since he has a unusually large nose, he does not tell her because he thinks he is ugly. Cyrano is very smart and a great swordsman. He soon finds out that Roxane is in love with a handsome man named Christian. Not thinking about his own feelings he helps the two get together. Christian is very handsome but he knows nothing about how love works, so Cyrano write love letters to Roxane and Christian signs them. Cyrano and Christian are soon sent of to war. Roxane makes him promise her that he will take care of Christian. Before Christian leaves for battle Roxane tells him that she is so deeply touched by his love letters and that she now loves him for who he is and not on his looks. Little did she know that she has fallen for Cyrano because he is the one who has been writing all the letters. Christian dies in battle and Roxane is heartbroken. She becomes a nun but is still visited by Cyrano every weekend. Years later, Cyrano is badly hurt in a fire. (A/N: if I'm not mistaken…he got hit on the head by this wood thingy…) Deeply wounded, he still goes to visit Roxane at their usual time. Knowing that he isn't going to live any longer, he tells her that he was the one writing all the love letters and that he has always loved her. Roxane asks him why he didn't tell her sooner and he replies by saying that he thought she would never love him and didn't want to ruin her happiness with Christian. Roxane reassures him that she loves him for who he is and Cyrano draws his last breath…"  
  
"Man that is so deep!!!" a guy named Will said as Van finished the story.  
  
"Very well said, very well said indeed." Mr. LaFortain nodded with a smile. "Alors est-ce qu'on le fait ou non (So are we doing it or not)?"  
  
"OUI!!!" the whole classed yelled together.  
  
"Fantastique (Fantastic)!" he said with an even larger smile. "I was hoping that you would say yes. Now everyone, get in line up in and you each will be picking a piece of paper out of this hat." He showed a class a hat. "On each piece of paper, will be the name of a character and the character you pick will be the one you play. Understand?"  
  
The class nodded and he continued. "So please line up in-" His words were cut of by a knock on the door. "Excusez-moi pour un moment (excuse me for a moment)."  
  
The class started to chat about the up coming play. Hitomi however, was wondering about who was at the door. Her question was answered as the teacher returned with a new student.  
  
"Well class, it seems like we have another new student. Please welcome Allen Shezar."  
  
'*Gasp* I didn't know that Allen took French too!' Hitomi thought as she saw her boyfriend. 'Great, now I'm going to have to deal with Van and Allen in the same class, why doesn't anything ever go the way I want it?'  
  
It was clear to her that he was looking in her direction but the cold look on his face told her that he wasn't looking at her. She turned around to see that Van wasn't too happy seeing him neither. 'If looks could kill, both of them would be dead by now.'  
  
"Allen, Bienvenue (Welcome)! Now where should we put you?" the teacher said while looking across the room. Once again, many hands flew up. "Oui, à coté de Guillaume S.V.P. (Yes, next to Guillaume please.)"  
  
Allen slowly walked to the other side of the room but he never took his eyes of Van.  
  
"So back to business, everyone come line up in front of me and take a piece of paper out of this hat." Showing the class once more the big old black hat. "I must warn you that there aren't that many characters in the play so many of you might end up being stage crew. Alors qu'est-ce que vous attendez? Venez! (So what are you waiting for? Come!)"  
  
Many people raced to the front, hoping to get a good part. Seeing that Allen was moving towards their desk, Van slowly walked away.  
  
"Hey baby, what a surprise. Didn't know you took French." Allen said as he reached her desk.  
  
"*Laughing nervously* me neither" she responded, 'why am I so nervous, it's not like I did anything wrong.'  
  
"So why didn't you tell me that you sat next to that loser?" Allen asked pointing towards Van.  
  
Hitomi struggled then answered quietly, "It never came up but please Allen, don't start anything. He's not a loser, he's my friend."  
  
Looking offended, Allen was just about to reply when the teacher said, "Les amoureux! Que faites-vous là-bas? Vite, venez prendre un nom. (Hey love birds, what are you doing there. Come pick a name fast!)"  
  
Somehow the whole class seemed to understand and broke into laughter (A/N: Not Van though). Hitomi blushed fiercely and said to Allen, "Come on lets go get a character."  
  
By the time Hitomi went to get her role, it seemed like she was the only one left. Everyone else was talking about who they were going to be.  
  
"Hey Hitomi who did you get?" asked a girl.  
  
"I don't know yet, I didn't open the paper."  
  
"Well hurry up. Van got Cyrano and Allen got Christian. Who ever got Roxane is going to be sssoooo lucky. She'll be the girl that they fight over. God this is going to be so interesting!!!" giggled the girl as she walked away.  
  
'It better not be me. It can't be me. I'm the last one to pick. Roxane's character was probably picked a long time ago, so I have nothing to worry about. No biggie.' Hitomi reassured herself. "Okay…" she let out a deep breath and opened her paper…  
  
***Hahaha, I'm so evil. I'm leaving you here. I like keeping my readers in suspense. I can't believe that Empress actually knew what play I was going to use. Damn, ruined the surprised…^_^ Ne ways. I didn't do a good job on describing the play. I don't even remember it that well…For those of you who know it, great! And those who don't, well…go read about it or something. I'll try to write the next chapter fast so I can put it up. Hope you liked it!!! R&R*** 


	11. Meredith

Chapter Eleven: Meredith  
  
"Well are you happy with what you got?" Yukari asked Hitomi as they were walking home from track practice.  
  
"I guess being the costume designer isn't that bad," Hitomi said with a sigh, "I just wanted a more important role but I'm happy I didn't get Roxane cause that would have been really awkward."  
  
"I know what you mean," Yukari said with a giggle. "So when is the first practice?"  
  
"Tomorrow, after school."  
  
"I still can't believe that Meredith got the lead. She can't even understand French and everyone knows that she's just keeping the role so that she can get close to Allen."  
  
For a moment, Hitomi didn't reply, she seemed to be lost in thoughts.  
  
Realizing that her best friend was feeling uneasy about her boyfriend being in a love scene with another girl, Yukari said reassuringly, "But don't worry, Allen is totally into you. He won't chose that slut over you."  
  
"You hafta admit, she is drop-dead gorgeous. I wonder how comes she's not one of the MGW?"  
  
"Because of her reputation! You think she's already enough well known with the guy." With that, the two girls broke into laughter.  
  
***  
  
"Here are you scripts for the play," Mr. LaFortain said at the end of class the next day. "I trust that I will be seeing all of you tonight. Please remember that you have to memorize everything by the end of next week. We don't have much time, so everyone must work every hard. May I suggest that the stage crew and the costume designers start right away and those having trouble with their lines should come to me for help." Seeing that the no one had any questions, the teacher finished, "you may be dismissed."  
  
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, more than half the class was running out the door. Hitomi waited for Allen while trying to ignore Van's gaze. They haven't been talking much since the hallway incident.  
  
Allen asked her to wait for him because he had a little surprise for her (it's supposed to be making up for the dance.)  
  
"Hey baby," Allen leaned over to give Hitomi a quick kiss as he approached. "You ready to-"  
  
"Allen!" a cry came from behind. It was Meredith. The tall redhead waved from her desk, signaling him to wait for her.  
  
To Hitomi's surprise, Allen smiled at great big smile and returned the wave happily. When she finally approached the couple, Hitomi could clearly see why Meredith was so popular with the guys. She was wearing the shortest mini-skirt Hitomi has ever seen and her baby blue tank top was almost see-through. The ensemble showed off the young woman's curves a little to well for Hitomi's liking.  
  
"And where is my leading man running off to all of a sudden?" Meredith asked Allen smiling, then seeing Hitomi she asked, "oh are you driving your little sister home? Selena isn't it?"  
  
"Nah, she's not my sister, this is Hitomi, Hitomi Kanzaki"  
  
'Okay, back up here! What happened to 'this is Hitomi, my girlfriend,' Hitomi thought very annoyed. 'And if I'm not mistaken, Van is the Cyrano, she should be drooling all over him not Allen!' "Hey, I'm Hitomi." She decided to say out loud while reaching out a hand, "Allen's girlfriend."  
  
Completely ignoring Hitomi, Meredith continued, "Well as I was saying, we have a lot of intimate part together in the play." She now had a hand on Allen's chest and finished with a seductive grin, "so I was thinking that we should get together and practice. You did hear the teacher, practice make perfect!"  
  
'Okay, this bitch is seriously getting on my nerves.' Hitomi fought to keep her hand from ripping the girl in two. 'How can she just make a move on him when I'm standing right here?' "chee, I'm sure the offer sounds very tempting but my boyfriend and I have a date that we need to be getting to." Hitomi said removing the girl's hand from Allen's chest. She moved between them and started to push Allen away.  
  
Allen however was completely enjoying the moment. He liked having the two girls fight over him even if he was a little surprised by Hitomi's courage.  
  
"I'm sorry Meredith, today isn't a good time. Maybe tomorrow." Allen suggested.  
  
Hitomi was completely shocked by his answer. 'Am I going crazy or did he just accept?!?!'  
  
"Well, alright then, it's a date." Meredith said still smiling. "Call me." She gave Allen a kiss on the cheek before walking away.  
  
Allen was still smiling as the tall redhead walked away.  
  
"What was that all about?" Hitomi demanded right away, "you partially just accepted to sleep them her!!!"  
  
"Calm down Hitomi, I didn't accept to do anything else than rehearse the play. You can't blame a girl for having good taste and it's not like you and I are married or anything." He said with his own voice rising a bit. "I'd do the same thing if you were Roxane."  
  
"But I'm not!" Hitomi said with her lips trembling, trying to hold back tears, "and I don't like the fact that you're running around making out with some good looking Barbie!" Out of a corner of her eye, she could see Van looking at her through the crow of girls that usually surrounded him.  
  
"Aww, baby you know I won't enjoy it as much as I enjoy kissing you," Allen reached out his arms to hold her and added with a grin, "I can prove that to you right now if you want."  
  
'Maybe he's right, maybe I be overreacting a bit. It's not my fault that he's so attractive.' Hitomi thought calming down. "Okay, whatever, * evil smile * but you have to promise me that you'll hate every moment of it."  
  
Putting his arm around Hitomi, he directed her towards the school exit and said, "now that we got that cleared up, what do you say we go on that date?"  
  
***  
  
"This is sweet!" Dilandau said that afternoon after Allen returned from his date with Hitomi. "You got yourself a MGW girlfriend and in the same time, you have a perfect excuse to make out with a totally hott babe!"  
  
"And you said I lost my touch," Allen said with pride.  
  
"But didn't the lil lady say she didn't want you sucking face with Meredith?"  
  
Allen just smiled for a minute, than said with a laugh, "tell me one thing Dilandau, when did Allen Shezar ever obey a woman?" All Dilandau did was laugh because they both knew the answer very well.  
  
***So how did you guys like this chapter? Not what you expected it, right? ^_^ hehe, well it was obvious that Hitomi should get Roxane but like I said before, I wanna be a lil original. But that doesn't mean she's completely out of the picture, you never know what might happen next. *Evil smile* there was a lil bit of Dilly in this chapter. Someone said that he should have been a MGM and I know that. But in the beginning, I had him as Selena but since most of you (*cough-Chichirui-cough*) wanted him in the fic so badly, I decided to make them into different people. Next up: first rehearsal. Hope you enjoyed it! Later!*** 


	12. First Rehearsal

*~*~*~* Hallo! It's me, finally got to updating my story. I just wanted a lil note before the start of this chapter.(I got a email about this so I thought that I should make it clear) You guys probably realized that in my Fanfic, I describe Van with blue eye. He really has brown eyes but I don't know why…I'm just think people with black hair and blue (or green) eyes are really kool looking. Even though Van's already extremely hott *drool, drool, drool* I just thought it'd be kool. So just wanted to let you know that I know he has brown eyes. Ne ways, on with the story…*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Twelve: First Rehearsal  
  
"I seriously don't see the point of me being here," Meredith leaned against the back stage wall, "I've been stuck back here ever since I came."  
  
"The play goes on in one month, that's not a lot of time and you're one of the main characters, of course you need to be at every rehearsal." Hitomi replied as she searched a huge cardboard box for some items.  
  
"I wasn't asking you," Meredith rolled her eyes. "Who do you think you are anyways? Just because you were told to help me with my French doesn't mean you can boss me around!"  
  
"I wasn't bossing you around, I was simply-" Hitomi stopped seeing Meredith walk away. It was obvious that she wasn't listening so why waste the energy trying to reason with her?  
  
'Bitch, how did she ever get the lead? She can't even speak French. I'm only trying to help her and she snaps at me every chance she gets. Who died and made her queen of the word?'  
  
Hitomi's thoughts were interrupted as she heard someone yell on stage.  
  
"Meredith!!! Get off the stage! You don't come in until later!"  
  
It was Steve, the assistant director. He's a really smart and ambitious guy. He likes everything to be 'perfect' and got cranky whenever people go in his way.  
  
"Look nerd boy, I've already wasted 2 hours here and I didn't even get to go on stage. We are rehearsing my lines now or I'm leaving!" Meredith said looking very annoyed with her hands on her hip.  
  
"Okay, ça va pour aujourd'hui, étudier vous ligns et nous nous revoyons demain à la même heure. (Okay, that's enough for today, study your lines and we'll see each other tomorrow at the same time.)" Mr. LaFortain said getting up from his chair. "Good work."  
  
"WHAT? You mean we're finished?" Meredith shrieked.  
  
"Yes Miss Robinson and now if you will excuse me, I will see you tomorrow," the teacher said as he walked towards the exit.  
  
"Damn, this is so cheap!"  
  
Hitomi returned back to her work but was startled when she felt two strong arms encircle her waist.  
  
"Hey baby," Allen said giving her a kiss, "Ready to go?"  
  
Hitomi turned around so she can return the kiss more easily, "I have to stay a bit to finish some work," she said after they broke apart. Deep inside, she was secretly hoping that he'd offer to stay with her.  
  
"Well that sucks, I'll see you tomorrow than." Giving her one last kiss, he walked away.  
  
"Allen, wait up!" a tall redhead yelled out.  
  
"Hey, going home already? How bout giving me a ride?" Meredith asked as she caught up with him.  
  
"Sure!" he answered a little too enthusiastic.  
  
'Great…' Hitomi thought as she watched the young woman walk away with her arms around Allen.  
  
***  
  
"kimi o kimi o aishiter, kokoro de mitsumete iru, kimi o kimi o shinjiteru, samui yoru mo…" Hitomi sang to herself 10 minutes later as she searched though a closet looking for one of those dummies you use to hold the clothes (A/N: what are they called?).  
  
"Did anyone every tell you that you have a beautiful voice?"  
  
She jumped as she heard the voice behind her. "Oh hi Van. I didn't realize anyone was still here." She said blushing. It was the first time they talked since that day.  
  
"Yeah, I stayed behind for some …um… work." He said with a nervous smile, "I'm helping out the stage crew."  
  
"Wow, you're playing the lead and your helping with the crew? That must be a lot of work!"  
  
"No problem."  
  
There was a moment of silence as Hitomi struggled to get the dummy out of the closet.  
  
"Do you need a hand there?" Van asked  
  
"No…I…got…it, just a little more…Ah!" Hitomi screamed as the dummy finally came out the closet. She was pulling on it so hard that the impact made her stumble backwards.  
  
Noticing that she didn't hit the ground, she slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a beautiful pair of dark blue eyes. Hitomi just stood there for a moment, completely lost in those eyes. It seemed like forever, until she finally realized that she was staring at Van who had his arms around her. (A/N: He caught her as she was falling. She has her back to him but her head is like on his shoulder so she can see his face and all. I'm not good at describing things but you know what I'm talking about.~_~)  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry," she said awkwardly freeing herself from his hold, "I mean, thanks…for catching me that is..."  
  
"Oh, no problem" Van blushed.  
  
They stood there once again without saying anything. This time, Hitomi didn't dare to look at him. She was afraid that if she did, she would see those eyes, and then, she'd never be able to looking away.  
  
Desperately looking for a distraction, she looked at her watch and said, "well, it's getting late and I'd better be going,"  
  
"How-bout-a-cup-of-coffee?" Van blurted out quickly.  
  
Seeing that Hitomi was feeling uncomfortable about the idea, he added, "I mean just as friends, nothing else…just friends..."  
  
"I don't know…" she finally said slowly.  
  
***oooohhhh….is that a no? Can Van handle 'just being friends'? Wanna know? Hafta wait till the next chapter! Sorry if I'm not updating as often anymore. I have so many projects to do and I have this huge history midterm coming up. _ Not to mention course selections…so much work, ick. Ne ways. Keeps those reviews coming cuz I love reading them!!! ^_^ Hope you liked it! Later!*** 


	13. Change of Heart

Chapter Thirteen: Change of Heart  
  
"I didn't know that you're on the school swim team," Hitomi said to Van as she took a sip of her French Vanilla coffee. They were sitting across from each other, in a small coffee shop, enjoying a warm drink.  
  
"Yeah, I heard that this girl is supposed to interview me tomorrow for the school newspaper. Her name is-"  
  
"Merle..."  
  
"Right, isn't she one of your friends?"  
  
"She was..." Hitomi replied sadly, thinking about their recent fight.  
  
"What do you mean? She seems nice, very shy, but nice"  
  
"Ha! Merle shy? We must me talking about two completely different girls here, Merle is anything but shy!"  
  
"No, I don't think so. Pink hair, big blue eyes, good looking, and I think that she's one of the MGW." Van said with a look on his face as if he was picturing her in his mind.  
  
"Yeah that's the one, I guess she's just shy around you because she..." Hitomi stopped just in time before she revealed one of Merle's top secrets.  
  
"Because of what?" Van smile playfully. Somehow Hitomi got the idea that he already knew the answer.  
  
"Never mind, can we talk about something else?" she asked nervously.  
  
"Sure, so how's it going with Allen?"  
  
`Great the one subject I didn't want to bring up...' she thought than said quickly, "Hey, we're always talking about my life, how's it going with you, beginning to feel at home yet?" Hitomi tired to sound as causal as possible. She didn't want to talk about her love life; especially not with Van since.  
  
"Look Hitomi," Van said with a serious tone, reaching out to hold her hand, "I know that you don't feel the same way about me..." He stopped for a moment, as if wanting her to correct him. "and...I ...I accept that, but I want us to be able to be friends."  
  
She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.  
  
"Just because I'm new, doesn't mean I'm deaf." Van continued, still hold her hand tightly. "I've heard about Allen and Meredith. Believe me, that girl doesn't stop until she gets what she wants. I've only known you for a little while but I really care about you and I don't want to see you hurt."  
  
Hitomi was struck by a sudden rush of emotions. Everything around her became a big blur and the only thing she could see was Van.  
  
Right at that moment, Hitomi didn't want anything else but to feel his arms around her. Slowly, she found herself moving towards him until his face was close, she could practically feel the warmth of his breath. She liked the way he smelled, like the scent of fresh grass carried by a light summer breeze. She liked every detail about him. The way his hair fell in front of his eyes; the way his shirt was unbuttoned on the top, the way he smiles at her and the way he always knew what to say.  
  
Their lips were now barley inches apart. Although her mind was screaming for her to stop, the rest of her body refused to correspond. "Van..." her murmured, not caring if he actually her.  
  
"Hey Hitomi!" The call snapped Hitomi back to reality, and she quickly pulled away.  
  
Afraid to see Van's reaction, she looked around the café to see who called her. Standing at the door was Yukari, Merle, Amano and Millerna with her arms wrapped around a handsome young man.  
  
Hitomi smiled awkwardly while waving to her friends. `I hope they didn't see what just happened. I'm not even sure what just happened. Did I almost kiss Van?'  
  
"Hey girl, we went to school to pick you up but you were gone already so we thought we'd drop by to get a cup of coffee." Yukari said smiling, "and I see you had the same idea."  
  
"Hey guys," she said to her friends, trying to sound normal. "Why don't you join us?"  
  
Merle, Millerna and her date sat on Van's side of the table as Amano and Yukari sat with Hitomi. Millerna was the first to break the silence, "Hitomi, I don't think you've met my boyfriend yet." She smiled at the brown haired guy beside her, "this is Dryden."  
  
"Hey," Dryden waved causally. Hitomi gave him a warm smile and said, "it's nice to finally meet the guy who Millerna has been talking about for days." Seeing Dryden blush, Hitomi continued, "you guys remember Van."  
  
"Hey, aren't you the guy who fought with Allen at the dance?" Amano asked after everyone greeted Van.  
  
"Amano!" Yukari snapped.  
  
"Oh sorry," Amano chuckled, "I didn't know that we weren't supposed to talk about it."  
  
"It's okay... I think I should go," Van said as he got up, "nice meeting you guys a and I'll see you later Hitomi."  
  
"Wait you don't have to go!" Hitomi called out without thinking. She found herself wishing that her friends showed up and wanting to stay with Van.  
  
"I'd like to stay but I should be getting home." He replied smiling.  
  
"Oh I see," she said trying to hide her disappointment, "thanks for the coffee."  
  
"Anytime, later."  
  
***  
  
"Okay Hitomi, out with it, what's with you and Van?" Merle asked with her arms folded in front of her chest as soon as Van walked out of the Café.  
  
"Hi merle, I'm glad to see your finally talking to me," Hitomi said sarcastically.  
  
"Yeah, I'm curious too," Amano said smiling evilly, "was it just me or did we interrupt some intimate moment between the two of you when we came in?" Everyone laughed except Merle.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Hitomi said feeling blood rush towards her cheeks. "We're just friends."  
  
`I think...'   
  
***  
  
"Thanks for the ride home, I'll see you guys tomorrow!" Hitomi waved to her friends as she got out of the car.  
  
"Wait Hitomi! I need to talk to you!" Merle shouted, following Hitomi up the driveway.  
  
"What's up? You still mad at me?" Hitomi asked as she approached.  
  
"No, I'm not mad, more like curious. I don't care what you say but I know something is going on between you and Van. It's clear how he feels about you, so it's no use for me to continue being pissed. The question is what do you feel towards him?"  
  
***Hey! I finally got to updating my story...I guess I was a lil discouraged by a few flames I got...but I realized there are people who actually like this fic and I don't wanna disappoint them. So anyways, hope you liked it! Plz R&R!" 


	14. New Encounter

Chapter Fourteen: New Encounter  
  
"So you guys are only friends after all?" Merle asked Hitomi as she put the finishing touch to her nails. The girls ended up spending the night at Hitomi's house, catching up on each other's lives. It was just like old times and they seem to have forgotten all about the fight.  
  
"I really don't know, I know that I really like Allen but I'm also attracted to Van." Hitomi said playing with her hair. "It's just that he's always there when I need him, and when I'm with him, I feel...safe, like there's no other place in the world that I rather be."  
  
Merle struggled to keep her own emotions under control.  
  
Sensing her friend's discomfort, Hitomi quickly apologized, "Look, I'm sorry. Here I am, all caught up in my own affairs. I didn't even stop to think that you might you feel uneasy with all this talk about Van."  
  
"It's okay" Merle said, managing to smile. "I'm over him."  
  
"Yeah right! If there's one thing you can't do, it's lie."  
  
Merle pretended to get up to grab some more nail polish. She really just didn't want to face Hitomi right then. It wasn't that she didn't trust her friend; Merle was never good with confessions. She didn't want to make Hitomi feel bad because deep down, she knew exactly how Hitomi felt about Van. "No, I really am." She said sitting back down, onto her pink sleeping bag.  
  
"Merle," Hitomi said with a serious tone, "I don't want you to give him up because I'm confused about my feelings. Van deserves someone who is totally dedicated to him. Someone like you..."  
  
"But he-"  
  
"Girls, it's late, you better be getting back to sleep," Mrs. Kansaki said knocking on Hitomi's door, "tomorrow is a school day and you young ladies better not be complaining when I wake you up."  
  
"Kay, thanks mom, good night!"  
  
"Yeah, night Mrs. Kansaki."  
  
"As I was saying," Merle started after she was sure they were alone.  
  
"Merle, I really don't want to talk about it anymore. Let's just go to sleep okay?"  
  
"Fine" Merle sighed.  
  
10 mins later, they finally put away all the cosmetics and settled down in their sleeping bags.  
  
"Hey Merle?" Hitomi asked quietly  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Thanks for being such a good friend."  
  
All Merle did was smile as she slowly drifted into sleep.  
  
***  
  
"Hey guys! Glad to see you made it on time." Yukari greeted them the next day with a huge smile.  
  
"That's because I pulled sleeping beauty here out of bed." Merle giggled.  
  
"Oh really? So you guys are friends again?" Millerna asked as she detangled herself from Dryden's embrace.  
  
"No way, how can anyone be friends with her?" Hitomi joked.  
  
"Wait you guys were fighting?" Amano asked as he tried to stuff the remaining parts of his bagel into his mouth before the first bell rings.  
  
"Did you guys hear about Folken?" Yukari asked, ignoring his comment.  
  
"Yeah didn't he get kicked off the football team or something?" Merle asked with interest.  
  
"He did, for getting into a big fight." Dryden said causally. "That guy has got one hell of a temper."  
  
"And he's got one hell of a body too but I heard he hasn't dated anyone ever since his girlfriend died in a car accident last year." Merle sighed.  
  
"Oh really?" Millerna asked smiling.  
  
"Okay, you sound a little bit too enthusiastic there," Dryden said pulling his girlfriend towards him, "why would you be interested in him when you got me?"  
  
"Oh great, just let out of here before they start sucking lips again." Yukari said making a face.  
  
"There nothing wrong showing a little affection in public." Amano said.  
  
"Are you suggesting something?" Yukari smiled, putting her arms around him.  
  
"Maybe I am..."  
  
"I think that's our cue to leave." Hitomi directed Merle towards the school entrance.  
  
***  
  
"Why am I the only one without a boyfriend?" Merle complained.  
  
"What happened to Gadeth?" Hitomi opened her locker to get her books for the first half of the day.  
  
"I was never actually attracted to him. I made up that stupid excuse for you could ride home with Allen."  
  
"Oh right I remember that..."  
  
"My life sucks" Merle pouted.  
  
"It's can't be that bad, the right guy will come eventually."  
  
"Sure, speak for yourself. You got two MGMs fighting over you."  
  
***  
  
`Great, all the seats are taken...why does everyone seem to have the same period for study hall as me?' Merle wondered as she walked into the library. `There's got to be one seat open...'  
  
Merle looked around the large room hoping to find an open spot to sit down. She had her hands full of heavy books and need to finish her Spanish homework before next period. At last she found an open table at the far end of the room. It was big but it at lest there was place for her to work. She quickly hurried to the table, afraid that someone else might get there before her.  
  
Although the seat was isolated from everyone else, it was a nice place to sit. There was a window just above it where light shined through; soon Merle found herself actually enjoying the peace and quiet.  
  
`Okay, Spanish...which page is it again?' Merle thought as she flipped through her book.  
  
"Your in my seat."  
  
The voice from behind started Merle so much that she practically jumped out of her seat. Turning around to see where it came from, she found herself staring right at the ex-football player.  
  
His face showed no emotion and his hair was pretty messed up; but somehow, Folken managed to looked extremely sexy. Not sexy like something out of a magazine, but more natural and...well...mysterious. The way he stared back at her gave Merle goosebumps.  
  
"So are you gonna move or what?" His icy tone snapped her back into reality. And for the first time, Merle was speechless.  
  
***So, how did you like this chapter? I decided to write a few stuff on Merle cuz I feel bad for her. It's seems that she's always alone in every fanfic I read. And it gave me a good reason to add Folken (hint, hint). But don't worry, this is still a V&H fic. ^_^ I wanna thank all of you who like my fic. I'm so glad that you enjoy it and if it weren't for you guys, I probably would have stopped writing after getting the flames. I luv y'all and I hope you keep on reviewing! Later, Bishouji88*** 


	15. Mistakes

Chapter Fifteen: Mistakes  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were sitting here," Merle apologized as soon as she found her voice.  
  
"Well didn't you see my books?" Folken didn't sound too happy. He was good looking but it didn't stop Merle from feeling extremely irritated.  
  
She searched the table for his books and finally found them lying on the ground, `I must have been in such a hurry that I missed them, but he still has no right to snap at me. Everyone makes mistakes. No wonder why he hasn't dated anyone in a while. Who would wanna go out with an ice man?'  
  
"I said I'm sorry. What do you want me to do, get on my knees and beg?"  
  
To her surprise, Folken almost smiled to the idea.  
  
"Okay, look, I got Spanish next period and I really need to get my homework done."  
  
"Why should I care?"  
  
`This guy was seriously starting to push my buttons...'  
  
"I don't have time to argue with you." She blurted out quickly. "My Spanish teacher said that if I don't do my homework again, she'll fail me. If she fails me, I'll get kicked of the school newspaper and I can't let that happen because...because I can't! This table is the only one that's open and it'll be big enough for the two of us if I move my books. Just let me crash here for now and I promise, I'll never bother you again."  
  
"Okay okay! Just shut up."  
  
Merle grinned victoriously. No one could ever out talk her. She put her books onto the floor, pulled up another chair (A/N: don't ask me where the chair came from, just work with me here.) and started to work.  
  
"You should maybe consider doing your homework at home." Folken asked a few minutes later.  
  
"I don't remember asking for your advice, plus I have a busy life. I don't have enough time to work on Spanish."  
  
"Yeah, that some hell of a life, worrying about being kicked off some stupid newspaper."  
  
Merle hated when people said things about the school newspaper. It means a lot to her, and she never lets people mess with the things she cared about. She could feel the blood rushing up to her face, and before she could control herself, Merle shout back, "well at lest I don't spend my time being upset over some dead old girlfriend!"  
  
"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT SORA!" Folken jumped up and yelled. He slammed his hands on the table so hard that most of the papers came flying off. With his face all red and full of hatred, it looked like he was about to hurt her. Instead, he just grabbed his books and headed out the door.  
  
Merle saw confused eyes looking at her. The loud scream has obviously caught people's attention.  
  
There are times when having a big mouth can cause big problems. She didn't mean to say the things she did but it seemed like her mouth had a brain of it's own. `Well at lest I have the table to myself now.........man, I'm a huge loser...'  
  
***  
  
`God I hate biology. The teacher is horrible, the class is lame and the room always smells like a bunch of dead fish.' Hitomi thought as she walked out of class. `Well, at lest I have vocal ensemble next, I class I can actually look forward to...' She was so caught up in her own thoughts that Hitomi didn't here a person run up behind her.  
  
"Hey baby," Allen suddenly grabbed Hitomi by the waist to give her a kiss.  
  
Even if it wasn't the first time Allen has done this, Hitomi was still very surprised. She smiled and returned the kiss willingly but began to feel uneasy as she realized that Allen wasn't planning to stop. She tried to pull away but he just pressed harder. Hitomi's back was soon pinned against a wall, and she shivered as she felt Allen's hands move down her body.  
  
"Allen! Stop!" Hitomi managed to say between breaths. "Let go!" With one strong shove, she pushed Allen off of her. After catching her breath, Hitomi began straitening her shirt, trying to smooth away the evidence of her last activity.  
  
"Sorry `Tomi, I guess I got a little excited," Allen apologized with a lazy grin. His lips were swollen red from the kiss, and despite her anger, Hitomi found him to be even more attractive this way.  
  
"Yo Allen!"  
  
Hitomi turned around to see a good-looking guy walk up towards them with his arms wrapped around a young, yet very beautiful girl. (A/N: have you noticed that everyone seems to be good looking in this fic? ~_~;; what can I say, Escaflowne is just filled with good looking characters.^_^) As they approached, the blond girl ran up to give Allen a hug. Hitomi felt a hint of jealousy but it quickly vanished as she saw the resemblance between the two.  
  
`This must be Allen's younger sister, Selena!' Hitomi thought.  
  
"Yo, what's up?" Allen raised his hands to high five the guy.  
  
"Just chilling and spending quality time with my lady," the white-haired boy said winking at Selena. "And I see that you had the same idea."  
  
Hitomi blushed, hoping they didn't see what just happened between her and Allen.  
  
"You must be Hitomi," Selena said with a smile, "I've heard a lot about you."  
  
"And I'm guessing you Allen's sister, Selena. It's nice to finally meet the other famous Shezar. Your even prettier than they say."  
  
"I think I deserve to be introduced too."  
  
"Oh yeah, `Tomi, this is Dilandau." Allen said.  
  
`Why isn't he a MGM. He sure has the looks to qualify...' Hitomi thought.  
  
"So you are the one who rumors say, `have tamed the wild beast'." Dilandau said looking at Allen's direction.  
  
Blushing, Allen released his sister and pulled Hitomi in for a hug. "Yup she's the one."  
  
***  
  
"Is what Dilly said true, Allen?" Selena asked after Hitomi walked away. "Are you really going serious with her?"  
  
"Selena, you really think you brother would give up his reputation for her?" Dilandau asked his girlfriend with a strange smile.  
  
"I don't know, she seems really nice..."  
  
"Yeah but she doesn't really strike me as the normal type of girl Allen goes after."  
  
"Who knows, I might just surprise all of you." Allen said with a mischievous look on his face.  
  
"Man, are you serious?" Dilandau's jaws dropped. "You're giving up Meredith for her?"  
  
"Who said anything about giving up Meredith?"  
  
"Well, than what are you going to do brother? You have to choose." Selena asked.  
  
Allen paused for a moment before he answered, "I just might choose to have them both."  
  
***This chapter is surely gonna satisfy most of you. It has Dilly and Folken. Lol. Well for those Folken fans, you in luck, there's gonna be more of him. He might be a hard cookie now, but he'll soften up. About Dilly...I'll add him whenever I can. Isn't Allen a jackass? Don't worry, I'm gonna make him pay later. Hehehe...ne ways, hope you liked it. R&R~Bishouji88*** 


	16. Just Friends?

Chapter Sixteen: Just friends?  
  
"I can't believe you said that!" Yukari exclaimed during lunch, "That's so mean!"  
  
Merle, who has hardly even touched her favorite tuna sandwich, replied miserably, "Will you guys stop it? I feel bad enough already, I don't need you guys reminding me every second what a horrible person I am…" Merle has just told her friends about her recent encounter with Folken. Ever since this morning, she has been feeling like crap.  
  
"What are you going to do about it?" Millerna asked as she finished her salad.  
  
"Find him and apologize…"  
  
"You crazy? He'll probably rip your head off! You're lucky he didn't do anything to you in the library. If I were you, I'd stay as far away from him as I possibly can. You don't have any class with Folken do you?"  
  
Merle shook her head silently.  
  
"If it makes you feel any better, we'll come with you." Hitomi gave her friend an encouraging smile.  
  
"Na…" Merle sighed, "thanks for suggesting though. This is my mess and I'll fix it by myself."  
  
***  
  
"Van!" Hitomi yelled, trying to catch up with the MGM before he entered class. She needed to clear out a few things with him. Starting with what happened last night. Hitomi knew she had to pick which guy she wanted to be with. And after hearing what Allen said this morning, she made a decision.  
  
'I'm going to get this over with, and I'm not going to regret it,' she thought to herself. 'What happened last night with Van was wrong. Even if nothing actually happened, it was wrong of me to have wanted something to happen. I'm with Allen, he loves me, and I'm happy. It's not fair to him if I continue to have feelings for Van. Great, now just how am I going to say this to Van without sounding like an complete idiot?'  
  
"I need to talk to you," She said.  
  
"Okay."  
  
"I know we have a class to get to but this can't wait."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Cause it's important and I need you to know how I feel."  
  
"Go ahead, shoot."  
  
Hitomi paused for a moment, replaying what she was going to say in her head. "Maybe it can wait, we need to get to class." she suddenly changed her mind.  
  
"Hitomi what's wrong?" Van asked, looking very amused. "You were all excited about telling me something, saying how it couldn't wait, and now you've decided not to tell me after all?"  
  
"It's just I was---it's about---play---coffee shop---the kiss---and you left---I can't stop thinking ---this morning---Allen---'tamed the beast' …" she stopped realizing that she made absolutely no sense at all.  
  
"You know what, maybe it can wait. I think you need to think about what you want to say before you actually tell me." Van said smiling.  
  
"But I have thought about it-"  
  
*Riiinnnnggg*  
  
"There's the bell, gotta go. See ya later." Van gave her a quick peck on the cheek and ran down the hall.  
  
Hitomi lifted her hand to touch her cheek and blushed, 'Okay, that went very well.' (A/N: I'm still debating if that's sarcasm or if she really meant it. ^_^)  
  
***  
  
"Good job everyone! See you tomorrow." Steve called out through his microphone. Once the announcement was made, everyone gathered their things and ran out the door.  
  
Hitomi giggled as she heard someone say, "Man that guy is crazy. It's like he's trying to work as to death."  
  
She scanned the stage looking for Allen. 'Ah, there he is…I think it's my turn to scare him" she thought smiling. She slowly walked towards to stairs, making sure not to make a sound.  
  
"Boo!" Hitomi screamed as she jumped his back.  
  
"Hey 'Tomi," Allen smiled as he turned around.  
  
She made a sad face and said, "you weren't surprised?"  
  
"*Smiles* I heard you coming up behind me."  
  
"Than why didn't you turn around?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
"I didn't want to ruin your fun."  
  
"Than next time, at lest try to act surprised."  
  
"Okay, I'll keep that in mind. How 'bout I take you out for dinner to make up for this?" Allen suggested.  
  
"Sure, but first…" Hitomi smiled playfully and pulled Allen in for a deep kiss. She was happy to see that her boyfriend was controlling himself better than this morning.  
  
But her happiness didn't last long; right after they pulled apart, Hitomi saw a figure from run out the door. It took a minute for her to register the picture and to realize who it was that slammed the auditorium door so hard.  
  
'Oh my god…that was Van!'  
  
Hitomi broke apart from Allen's embrace and ran out the door after him. Before she exited the room, she yelled back, "sorry Allen, there's something I have to do. Don't leave, I'll be right back!"  
  
***  
  
"Van!" Hitomi called out. "Wait for me!" She ran towards his jeep. "I have to explain!!!" It was times like this that Hitomi was grateful that she was on the track team.  
  
"Stop Van! Listen to me!" she grabbed the door handle right before Van turned on the engine.  
  
"Why so you can lie to me again?" Van snapped.  
  
Hitomi took a step back, shocked by his tone of voice.  
  
"What are you talking about? I never lied to you about anything" she yelled back, unable to control her anger.  
  
"Ha!" Van laughed sarcastically, "So everything that happened was just a figure of my imagination?"  
  
"Nothing happened! I didn't do anything! You said that we would just be friends!"  
  
"Oh so it's all my fault? Damnit Hitomi! Stop lying! Who almost kissed who? You must be some freaking robot if you didn't feel anything last night! And who was the one that came running up to me this morning, trying to tell me something. I'm not blind! I could see it in your eyes!"  
  
Hitomi tried to say something but no matter how hard she tried, nothing came out. She was like in one of those nightmares where you want to scream but your throat just wouldn't respond. She was suddenly struck by a new wave of emotions but this time, she started to shake. Maybe it was the fact that she finally began to feel the cold air, or maybe it was the look in Van's eyes that gave her the chills: a look that could freeze hell.  
  
"You right, I didn't want to be just friends." Van continued a few minutes later with a softer voice. " From the moment I saw you, I knew I wanted to be more than that. I thought you finally came to you senses this morning and that you felt the same way…" Van let out a low bitter laugh, "but I was wrong…damn was I wrong." And with that, he slammed his car door and drove off.  
  
***Very dramatic chapter. Sigh~ That bitch, how can Hitomi do a thing like that to Van? Sniff sniff. Oh well I hoped you liked this chapter. Btw, one of my friends just started a really kool fic. Really really good. Damn can she write. Well if you into horses and that kind of stuff, be sure to check her fic out "In A Heartbeat" by Scharm0119. Ne ways, R&R and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Later and keep those reviews coming in! ^_^ Bishouji88*** 


	17. Cries

Chapter Seventeen: Cries  
  
'I am such a moron, how could I have let this happen? He hates me…Van really hates me…' Hitomi kept on thinking during dinner that night with Allen.  
  
"So the coach was like…" However Allen, completely unaware of the things going on in Hitomi's mind, was enjoying himself. He kept on talking none-stop about basketball and all the attention he was getting from the games. It didn't once occur to him that Hitomi wasn't listening.  
  
Determined not to ruin her night out with her boyfriend, Hitomi plastered a weak smile on her face and tried to pay attention.  
  
After what seemed like forever, Allen finally noticed the distant look in her eyes. " 'Tomi? Are you even listening to me?"  
  
'He hates me…Van really-'  
  
"eeeaaarrttthhh ttooo hhhiiitttooommiii…"  
  
'-hates me…'  
  
"Hitomi!" he yelled.  
  
The sudden impact made Hitomi jump up from her seat. "What? Huh? Oh Allen!"  
  
"You were expecting someone else?"  
  
"No," Hitomi answered quickly. "God, I'm sorry. I'm really out of it tonight."  
  
"Do you want me to take you home?"  
  
"No, I don't want to ruin our date."  
  
"Well you're kinda late for that." Allen answered.  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be such a drag. I'm just-"  
  
"Hitomi, it's fine! Incase you didn't realize, that was my poor attempt for a joke."  
  
"Oh…I'm sorry…" Hitomi answered miserably.  
  
Seeing that people were starting to stair, Allen stood up and said, "here, get your coat and I'll take you home. You look like you need some rest."  
  
***  
  
The ride home was completely silent, except for the few times that Allen tried unsuccessfully to start a conversation. When the pulled up in front of Hitomi's house, he unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned towards Hitomi for a goodnight kiss. Sensing his movement, she opened the door and got out of the car.  
  
"Thanks for dinner Allen. I'm really sorry but I got to go. Bye."  
  
Allen watched her jog up the lawn and entered the house. He places his hands on the steering wheel and let out a deep sigh, "okay, now that was a wasted night." 'But it's not over is it?' a voice in his head said, 'it's only 9 and there's always Meredith.' He smiled at the idea but decided against it. "'Tomi's already extremely upset about something, I shouldn't do anything that might make her feel worst." 'When did you start sacrificing everything for just one girl?' the voice objected. "Man, what is this? I'm arguing with myself about going over to Meredith house? I'm must be going crazy!" After shaking his head in disbelief, Allen restarted his car and drove down the street towards Meredith's place.  
  
***  
  
Hitomi slowly closed the front door, hoping not to get any attention.  
  
"Hitomi is that you?" a voice came from the living room.  
  
"Yes mom, I'm home," Hitomi said hoping that she didn't sound as bad as she felt.  
  
"Do you want some dinner?"  
  
"No, I already ate."  
  
"You sure? I made lasagna." her mom pressed.  
  
Hitomi heard footsteps coming her ways. 'damn, I can't let her catch me looking like this. If she does, then it's going to be let's-get-to-know- Hitomi's-social-life."  
  
"I'm really fine mom, just got lots of home work. I better go get started on them." Hitomi ran up the stairs before her mom could see her.  
  
***  
  
Sitting in the loneliness of her room, Hitomi's mind started to play recaps from her argument with Van. "You must be some freaking robot if you didn't feel anything..." The scenes felt like something out of a horrifying movie. It just kept replaying and replaying, not wanting to stop.  
  
"Damnit Hitomi! Stop lying!" Finally, unable to take it anymore, Hitomi broke down in tears.  
  
"I'm sorry Van, I didn't mean for it to happen this way," she sobbed. 'What did you mean? What did you want to happen?' a voice said in her head, like a ghost that came back to haunt her.  
  
"I don't know…"she cried. 'He hates you Hitomi, he never wants to see you again,' the voice continued.  
  
"Stop it!" she yelled desperately, shaking her head, trying to get the voices to stop. (A/N: you know when she has those visions and she wants to get them out of her head, that's how she looks like) 'He hates you…'  
  
"NO!!!"  
  
"Hitomi?" a knock came from the door. "Hitomi darling are u in there?"  
  
"Van doesn't hate me…he can't hate me…" she cried.  
  
"Hitomi, open the door!!!"  
  
Hitomi didn't respond, she only continued to cry and tremble.  
  
"Hitomi clam down, we can work this out. Just let me in. please open the door." Her mom said trying not to panic.  
  
The crying and shouting seemed to stop for a moment, and then all Mrs. Kanzaki heard was "I really messed up mom and now he hates me…"  
  
***  
  
"Son? Are you okay? You didn't eat much during dinner."  
  
"I wasn't hungry," Van answered, with his earphones still on his head. All Van wanted was a few moments of silence out on the balcony. With nothing but the moon and stars to keep him company. He needed to clear his head.  
  
"Oh…how was school?"  
  
"Peachy,"  
  
"excuse me?" M. Fanel asked confused.  
  
"It was fine" Van said annoyed.  
  
"So you're fitting in nicely?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You like this school."  
  
"Love it."  
  
"I'm glad to hear that, are the kids nice?"  
  
"Yeah…They sure know how to show they care," and Van didn't say anything after that. Seeing that his son wasn't in the mood for a conversation, Mr. Fanel decided to leave.  
  
***  
  
Ring…Ring…  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hi, um…is this Folken?"  
  
"Yeah," the voice answered unenthusiastically.  
  
"Hi, it's Merle," Merle said shyly, "You know the girl from the library? I'm calling to apo-"  
  
Click!  
  
"Hello? Folken?" After waiting a while, secretly hoping that he didn't actually hang up, Merle gave up. Frustrated, she hung up the phone and picked up a magazine.  
  
"I guess I'll just have to apologize in person. Damn, this is going to be harder than I thought."  
  
***Yay! Finally done. ^_^ People seemed to like the chapters to be dramatic so I added another one. Hehe, I guess I exaggerated Hitomi freaking out but Hitomi just isn't Hitomi without her going all psycho and crazy. I've read on my reviews that some of you can't read some chapters, if you want, write ur email and the chapter that you can't read on the review. I'll be happy to send them to you my email. Well, hoped you liked it! R&R!!! buh bye, Bishouji88 oh ya! Almost forgot, I started a new fic! lol go check it out!*** 


	18. Truth

Chapter Eighteen: Truth  
  
"Did any of you guys see Hitomi today?" Merle asked the next day as they ate lunch.  
  
" No, I thought she woke up late again or something but I haven't seen her all day." Yukari answered munching on her cookies.  
  
"Do you guys think she's sick?" Millerna asked looking worried.  
  
"Nah, I bet she's home catching up on some sleep. I'll call her after school and ask."  
  
Merle remained silent as the others talked about upcoming events. Usually she looked forward to having lunch with her friends, gossiping about people and things, but today, she wasn't in the mood. In her head, she played all possible scenes that could happen if she talked to Folken in person. So far, none of them ended up nicely. In scenario number 18, he managed to kidnap her, take her to a weird shrine where he crucified her in honor of his dead girlfriend. Merle shivered at the thought and slowly ate another mouthful of spaghetti. 'If only Hitomi was here, she'd give me some good advice. Darn, this girl sure can pick the day to be absent. Maybe these two can give me some advice.'  
  
"You guys, I wanted to ask you something." She began.  
  
Her friends turned their heads towards her, waiting for her to continue. "Well, remember what happened yesterday?"  
  
"Hey!" Yukari said all of a sudden, "I just got an great idea for a story!" Not waiting for the others reply she continued, "Why don't we find out once and for all what goes into that mysterious 'Tuesday Cabbage Soup'?" Yukari finished smiling proudly as if she just discovered the cure to cancer.  
  
"Now why didn't I think of that?" Amano teased. "Sorry to burst you bubble but I don't think anyone actually wants to know what goes into that thing."  
  
"Hey! At lest I tried! We're desperate here and who knows? Maybe if we find out what chemical they drop into it and blow their cover, they just might change the food."  
  
"It probably will be even more disgusting." Dryden pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, your right." Yukari sighed.  
  
"Hello??? Am I the only one here that heard Merle's plea for help?" Millerna interrupted.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry Merle!" Yukari apologized, "You know how it is when I sudden get an idea."  
  
"It's okay," she said quietly. "It's no big deal…"  
  
"You sure about that?" Millerna pressed.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm fine." She let out a deep sigh and went back to eating her lunch.  
  
***  
  
'Just a few more minutes until the end of class.' Merle thought as she watched the clock in the front of the room. 'Sitting in a humid room, listening to the teacher talk nonstop about stuff that happened centuries ago, sure is a nice way to finish a long day.' She rolled her eyes, 'Gag me!'  
  
Despite her efforts, Merle hasn't found the courage to approach Folken all day. She passed him a few times in the hall way but every time he had a look on his face that said 'come-near-me-and-I'll-pull-your-head- off'. He didn't seem like the common sociable kind of guy. Merle tapped her fingers on her desk as she counted down the last few seconds.  
  
*Ringing…*  
  
'Finally!' She picked up her books and dashed out the door. The hallway was crowded with people eager to get out of school. Merle held her books up close, incase some moron bumped into her. The last thing she needed today was to have all her books and papers spilled onto the ground. As she walked down the hall, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of some short blue hair. 'There's only one guy in the school who has hair that color,' she thought to herself. Taking a deep breath, she gathered up all her courage and walked towards his locker. 'It's now or never'  
  
"Um, hi." She said quietly as she approached. Folken took one look at her and slammed his locker shut. He picked up his book bag and walked the other way. 'Oh no, he's not getting away that easily.'  
  
"Wait Folken!" she yelled out, "Can't you let me apologize?"  
  
If he heard her, he made no attempt to stop. Merle stopped for a moment, controlling her emotions. Screaming her head off at him won't help the situation. Shaking her head clear, she decides to run after him. If he was going to kidnap her, let him. It would be better than feeling guilty for the rest of her life.  
  
"Will you wait up?" she said pulling on his arm once she was close enough.  
  
He yanked his arm away from her touch and gave her a look of pure hatred. "What do you want from me?"  
  
"I want to apologize."  
  
He let out a sarcastic laugh, "for what? For not minding your own business or for being the pain in the ass you are?"  
  
"Okay, I deserved that. I know I shouldn't have said the things I did but I couldn't help it. That's the way my mouth works. I never think before I say anything and I really really sorry."  
  
"No your not."  
  
"Excuse me?" Merle said not believing her ears.  
  
"You heard me, none of you are sorry. You just feel bad for one day and everything is fine the next. None of you know how it really feels to lose a person you love." People passing stopped to listen to their argument, but frankly, Merle didn't care. She couldn't believe that he was so stubborn.  
  
"Your right, I don't. But you're not the only one who has lost a loved one. Hundreds of people go through it everyday."  
  
"Was that supposed to make me feel better?"  
  
"I can't believe your such a jerk!" she almost shouted, "I come here to apologize and you bombard me with insults. What is your problem?"  
  
"My problem is you people don't know when to leave others alone. I never asked for any of you to feel sorry for me!" he yelled back.  
  
"What wrong with you? Why do you try to act all tough, as if you're so strong" she asked, "you don't fool me Folken. I know that inside, you're like a weak little boy who can't accept the facts of life." She continued not caring if he replied. "Your only miserable because you want to be."  
  
"How would you know anything about me?" he asked defensively.  
  
"I don't, but I can see it in your eyes. You're scared. Your scared to move on, scared to wake up one day and finally realize that Sora isn't coming back. Your scared to be yourself again, scared to be happy because if you did, you'd feel like you were betraying her."  
  
"Bullshit!"  
  
"No it's not, you and I both no I am right. You just don't want to believe it. I used to feel sorry for you because of what happened to your girlfriend. Now, I just think you're pathetic." Merles shook her head in disgust and slowly walked away.  
  
***  
  
"Darling are you really sure you want to go?" Mrs. Kanzaki asked her daughter as they got into the family car. "You just the stage manager, I think they can do without you for one day."  
  
"I'm fine mom, I'm feeling much better."  
  
"Okay if you say so, but if you run into anything that makes u feel uncomfortable, give me a call and I'll be right over."  
  
"Stop worrying mom," Hitomi smiled gratefully, "I'm not a kid anymore. I kinda overreacted yesterday but everything is fine."  
  
"I'm glad to hear it." Her mom reached over and gave her a gentle hug.  
  
***  
  
Hitomi waved goodbye to her mom as opened the door to the school auditorium. She could feel the wave of energy coming from inside. Surprisingly, the loud noises made her feel a lot better. During the whole day, the only sound she heard was the ticking of clocks. If she stayed at her home a minute longer, she would have gone crazy (that is if she hasn't already).  
  
As she approached the closet where most of the costumes were kept, she could hear a series of loud giggles and moans (A/N: yuck _). 'I see some people managed to keep busy while I was away. I guess I should leave them alone.'  
  
"Oh Allen…"  
  
Hitomi was completely shocked as she heard the name. It couldn't be her Allen. No, her Allen was 100% devoted to her, it couldn't be. As much as she wanted to believe herself, she keep on hearing Millerna's voice in her mind, "Allen's a player, he's not worth it."  
  
'There are more Allens in the school, it's a very popular name, it could be someone else.' No matter how hard she tried to reason with herself, Hitomi found it very hard to believe. Finally, unable to take it anymore, she reached for the doorknob.  
  
***AAHHH!!! What's going to happen??? Who is she going to find??? Wanna know? Hafta wait! *evil smile* tell me what you guys think. The more reviews, the faster I update! ^_^ Later! Bishouji88*** 


	19. Caught

Chapter Nineteen: Caught  
  
"Stay away from me you asshole!" the scream caught Van's attention just as he was getting ready to practice his fighting scene. Dropping his sword without hesitation, he ran in the direction of the noise which led him to the back of the stage. 'I hope no one is hurt," he thought to himself. When he reached the scene, it was obvious that the scream has caught everyone else's attention but Van couldn't see any teachers. Through the huge crowd of people, he could clearly make out the outline of two people struggling.  
  
"Let me go Allen!"  
  
Van could recognize the voice easily. Even if he were sleep, Hitomi's voice would ring in his mind. But this time, it was different; it has lost it natural softness and was now fill with panic and frustration. Despite the fact that he was still mad at her, Van was tempted to help Hitomi.  
  
"I said let me go!" She yelled again.  
  
"Hitomi let me explain," the other person pleaded. Van soon recognized that voice too. It was none other than the famous Allen Shezar. Somehow he wasn't at all surprised to here Allen's voice.  
  
"There's nothing to explain. I know what I saw!"  
  
"But you don't understand…" Hitomi refused to listen and pushed herself away from him, only to be caught in an even stronger hold. "Hitomi…please, calm down."  
  
"You want me to clam down?" she asked raising her voice once more. "Well, I'm sorry, it's not everyday that I walk into MY boyfriend making out with some slut!"  
  
"Hey who you calling slut?" A third voice spoke.  
  
Van turned his head in the direction of the sound. It was then that he saw Meredith standing not far away, with one hand on her hip. She added the final piece to the puzzle, and if he was correct, Hitomi finally found out about Allen's little affair.  
  
"Can't you just leave me alone?" Hitomi asked. This time, she was not yelling anymore, instead she was crying.  
  
Not think twice about his decision, Van pushed through the crowd and went to remove Allen's hand from her arm. "Listen to her! Don't you think you've put her through enough already?" he asked Allen.  
  
Instead of answering, Allen just stared angrily at him and yelled, "What is it with you and my girlfriend? Why are you always trying to play hero?"  
  
"Um, dude? I don't think she wants to be your girlfriend anymore." Someone called out.  
  
"Shut up! I didn't ask you!"  
  
"Let's go, I'll take you home." Van said putting an arm around the trembling girl's shoulder, directing her towards the exit.  
  
"Take you damn hands off of her!" Allen grabbed Van from the behind and roughly, pushed him away.  
  
Before he could react, Hitomi cried out, "STOP IT YOU TWO! I'm not some kind of object for you to fight over, nor am I a damsel in distress who needs to be saved." She paused trying to catch her breath, "All I ever wanted was a normal boyfriend! Not a bastard who cheats one me, or a guy who pretends to care about me but shuts me out the moment I do something wrong. I just wanted to have a normal life! Without neither of you in it!!! SO WHY DON'T YOU ALL JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?" she gave them one last desperate look and ran out the door.  
  
"I've had just about enough with you! Don't you think I know you've had the hots for her ever since you came?" Allen continued to scream at Van.  
  
"Someone go see if she's alright," Van called to the people who were watching the fight.  
  
"Listen to me when I'm talking to you!" he demanded, "Why are you always trying to screw us up?"  
  
"Don't blame me for it! You did that all by yourself!" Van yelled back losing his patience.  
  
Allen couldn't take anymore of this. He pushed Van against the wall and sent a direct punch into his left cheek. Seeing that this fight was starting to get physical, the crowd rushed in and pulled them apart.  
  
"I suggest you go after someone who isn't taken next time!" Allen yelled still struggling to break lose.  
  
"At least I know to keep a great girlfriend when I got one!"  
  
"Gentlemen! That will be enough!" Mr. LaFortain warned, as he finally showed up. "One more word out of either of you and I will file you up for violating the law."  
  
Not wanting to get into any more trouble or fines, the two stopped yelling and waited for the other to release them.  
  
"Now will you please act like civilized beings while I call Mrs. Kanzaki to come pick Hitomi up?" Van and Allen nodded but continued sending each other death glares. "Okay, practice is now cancelled. You may all leave but I want you two in my office." The teacher motioned the two fighters to follow him. People started to whisper as they gathered their belongings but Van couldn't care less. Though his jaw was still hurting, the only thing he could think of was Hitomi.  
  
***  
  
"Are you okay?" Merle asked softly. Merle was preparing to go out just as she received a call from Hitomi's mom asking her to come over to their house. Mrs. Kanzaki filled her in on the news before she talked with Hitomi. Although she did not say so, Merle was not surprise to hear what happened. She never knew what girls saw in Allen and she now hated him for doing this to her best friend. She felt really guilty about introducing them in the first place. Deep inside, she felt responsible.  
  
"Yeah," Hitomi said shaking her head, "I was kinda shocked, but I'm fine now."  
  
"I'm glad to see that you're not breaking down or anything."  
  
Merle decided to spend the night at her friend's house. Feeling that Hitomi needed someone to talk to other than her mother, her offered to stay. She knew that sometimes, it was easier to talk to a friend. The two girls stat on Hitomi's bed, wrapped their sleeping bags around their body to keep warm.  
  
"Well," Hitomi sighed, "I guess I realized that I was depending on guys too much. I always dreamed about having one of those fairy tales love stories. I mean who doesn't? I wanted to met my prince charming so bad that I didn't take the time to see if it was the right person." She said in a distant voice, staring into thin air, "I think deep down, I knew what kind of guy Allen really was. I was just too blinded by my emotions to see it. I don't think I wanted to see it."  
  
Merle didn't say a word, she knew at this point, there was nothing she could do but listen. "I didn't want to just be another one of his flings," Hitomi continued, "I really thought that I was something special to him the day I met his sister and her boyfriend." Merle saw a tear roll down her cheek. "But in the end, Millerna was right. I should have listened to her."  
  
"Don't blame yourself," Merle said reassuringly, giving her friend a little hug, "if I was in your place, I probably would have done the same. You had a crush on him for a long time, it's natural for you to react the way you did when he asked you out."  
  
"When did you become such a expect in relationships?" Hitomi joked, smiling weakly.  
  
"I…" Merle began to blush.  
  
"I'm just kidding," Hitomi giggled but returned to being serious again, "I'm really glad you're here Merle, it means a lot to me."  
  
Merle smiled back and gave a friend another warm hug, "hey, that's what friends are for." She paused for a moment, not knowing if she should ask the next question, "So what are you going to do with Van? Now that you're single."  
  
After thinking awhile, Hitomi finally answered, "I know it sounds stupid but I not sure about my feelings for him."  
  
"He really likes you," her friend pointed out.  
  
"That's why it wouldn't be fair to him and he probably doesn't feel that way about me anymore."  
  
"What do you mean..."  
  
*Ding Dong*  
  
The doorbell interrupted Merle just as she was about to finish her question.  
  
"I wonder who I could be at this time of the day." Hitomi said as she got up from bed to go open the front door. She quietly walked down the stairs, not wanting to wake up her mom who seems to have fallen asleep on the couch. Outside was dark and gloomy; it was hard to see the person through the windows. Merle stayed behind Hitomi and whispered, "Who do you think it is?"  
  
"We'll have to find out." She said slowly opening the door.  
  
***Ooohhhh…who can it be? Sorry it took me such a long time to put this up. Been really really busy and my brain kinda stopped working for a while. Well at lest I managed to write this one. I kinda got tried of Hitomi being all weak and helpless, so I thought it's about time that she stood up for herself. What do you think? Plz R&R!!!*** 


	20. Sorry

Chapter Twenty: Sorry  
  
"Hitomi who is it?" Merle asked as she saw the shocked look on her friends face. Hitomi expression quickly changed to a look of disgust. Without answering the question or saying one word, she slammed the door shut and headed back up the stairs. Merle became very confused. Her curiosity grew as the person outside knocked on the door once more.  
  
"Hitomi open up," Merle recognized to voice right away. No wonder why her friend left. If she were in her place, Merle would have done the same thing. She certainly wouldn't want to see Allen right now. The pink-haired girl was about leave when she heard knocking again. It was obvious that this guy wasn't going to leave. Merle turned around and opened the door. The look on Allen's face showed clearly that she wasn't the one he expected to see.  
  
"What are you doing here?" he asked.  
  
"I think I should be the one asking that." Merle said with an icy tone.  
  
"I want to talk to Hitomi," Allen demanded ignoring her tone.  
  
Merle positions herself in the entrance, blocking him from entering, "She doesn't want to see you."  
  
"I didn't ask for you opinion," he shot back.  
  
"Merle dear, who is that at the door?" Mrs. Kanzaki asked getting up from her position on the couch.  
  
"Allen Shezar," Allen reached out his hand, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, though I wish we could have met under better circumstances."  
  
Hitomi's mom didn't make any offer to take his hand, showing that she wasn't exactly happy to meet him. "I was just telling Allen that he could not see Hitomi," Merle informed the tired mother.  
  
"It will just be a moment," he reassured, "I really need to speak to her…"  
  
Mrs. Kanzaki cut him off in the middle of his sentence, "I'm afraid that is not possible."  
  
"But-" Allen tried to object.  
  
"Mr. Shezar, I would think that a young man of your age should know when he is not welcomed. Please leave my daughter alone. She does not wish to see you or have anything to do with you anymore. And now, if you will excuse, it is getting late and I am sure that you have somewhere else to be." Without waiting for him to answer, she shut the door. Merle was surprised at Mrs. Kanzaki's attitude toward Allen. She is one of the most caring and polite adults Merle knows. 'I wish my mom could be that cool,' Merle thought to herself as she said goodnight.  
  
*One Week Later*  
  
Hitomi walked into the lunchroom feeling very annoyed. She felt eyes on her as she moved towards her table. It's been one week since she caught Allen cheating on her. Some how the school was making a bigger deal out of it than she was. It was on the front page of the school newspaper and people stared at her wherever she went. She approached the table and slammed the bouquet of flowers that she was holding onto the surface. "I can't stand it anymore!" she almost screamed.  
  
"Another gift huh?" Yukari asked with sympathy.  
  
"What is his problem? How hard can it be to understand 'we're through'?"  
  
Everyday since the beginning of this week, Allen has been leaving cards in her locker, sending her gifts and trying to talk to her. He practically followed her around everywhere. 'He thinks I'll just forget everything he did because of a few gifts? Well I'll show him.' She thought. Hitomi wasn't going to forgive him that easily. It was bad enough going around everyday with people watching you. She also had to put up with Allen stocking her. There was no way that she'd ever consider dating him again. Maybe on day, they could be friends but that was all she was willing to do.  
  
"It seems to me that you really have 'tamed the beast'." Amano laughed at his own joke. After seeing that he was the only one laughing, he quickly added, "Well at lest he's sorry."  
  
"Yeah," Millerna agreed, "I for one enjoy watching him make a fool out of himself." Millerna had been through the same as Hitomi and she was glad to see the MGM suffer. Although she was happy that her friend finally came to her sense, deep inside, she felt a little spark of jealousy. Allen never reacted the same way when she dumped him. Sure he felt anger and humiliated, but he didn't acted like he wanted her back so badly like he has with Hitomi. 'Maybe in a way, he really did feel something for her,' she thought.  
  
"So how many gifts did you get so far?" Dryden asked.  
  
"Oh, please," Hitomi rolled her eyes, "Don't remind me."  
  
"Well lest see…a box of chocolate, these flowers," Millerna pointed to the bouquet of fresh beautiful looking roses, "and god know how many cards."  
  
"Hey, don't forget that necklace!" Yukari added.  
  
"Yup, he's sorry," Dryden admitted.  
  
Hitomi shook her head in disbelief, "I can't believe you people are keeping track!"  
  
"Someone had to do it," Millerna joked. "So what did you do with all that stuff?"  
  
"I told him to take it back," she replied simply.  
  
"Did he listen?"  
  
"No," Hitomi smiled despite herself. She was flattered that he was doing all this and spending all the money but it didn't change the way she felt. In a way, she was beginning to feel bad for the guy, "So the cards went straight to the garbage and all the other stuff, I gave away."  
  
"I can't wait to see the look on his face when he see another girl walking around with the necklace he got you," Merle giggled.  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you but I sold that and donated the money to charity."  
  
Just then, the speakers came on, interrupting the conversation, "Would Hitomi Kanzaki please report to room 319. Mr. LaFortain wishes to see you."  
  
Hitomi was glad that not many people paid attention to the announcements. This way they didn't have to stare at her again as she got up to leave.  
  
"I wonder what that's about," she thought out loud. "I'll catch up with you guys later." She waved goodbye to her friends and headed to see her French teacher.  
  
***  
  
"Ah, Mrs. Kanzaki, I'm so glad you stopped by on such short notice." Mr. LaFortain stood up to great her as soon as she entered his room. "Please have a seat."  
  
Hitomi sat across from her teacher's desk and fiddle nervously with the end of her shirt. 'I hoped that he didn't call me to talk about my grade.'  
  
As if feeling her awkwardness, he continued, "I'm sure you are wondering by now why I have asked you speak to you." He paused for a moment, "this is really hard for me to ask you, considering you current situation…" he paused again.  
  
This time Hitomi interrupted him. "It's not about my grade is it?"  
  
"Heavens no," he laughed, "You are one of my best students and you're doing just fine. It has nothing to do with that. I was wondering…if you would do me a great favor…and accept the role of Roxane in Cyrano de Bergerac."  
  
***  
  
Merle walked along the side of the wall as she slowly dragged herself towards the water fountain. 'I hate gym…' she kept on repeating to herself. She came out in the middle of gym class because her body was going to break down if she didn't get some water. 'They should bane gym,' she thought, 'they make you run around in these hideous uniforms, and you sweat like hell.' She was glad to see that no one was in the halls. This way, she could take her time. As she approached the school auditorium, something caught her attention. Music was coming from inside. Merle knew she shouldn't be wandering around but she couldn't pull away.  
  
She quietly pushed open the doors. Inside, the room was completely dark expect for the little light coming from the stage. She walked passed rows of chairs, making sure not to make a sound. She eyes slowly began to adjust to the faint light. Soon, she could see the contour of a person on stage, sitting on a stool. The person was playing a guitar and slowly singing along.  
  
"There's always something in the way, there's always something getting through but it's not me…it's you. Sometimes ignorance rings true, but hope is not in what I know, not in me, it's in you. It's all I know."  
  
Merle picked a seat and sat there completely lost in the music. She didn't care if she was going to miss gym. The voice singing was so soft and sad. She could tell it was a guy from the low pitch.  
  
"I find peace when, I'm confused. I find hope when, I'm let down. Not in me but in you. I hope to lose myself for good…I hope to find it in the end not in me in you, in you…"  
  
The song was simple, yet moving. She felt like he was singing about himself. The singer's head was tilted, blocking his face from her view. Merle slowly began to notice that his features were strangely familiar to her.  
  
"It's all I know, it's all I know, it's all I know in you, in you, it's in you." He stopped singing and there was a brief guitar solo.  
  
"There's always something in the way, there's always something getting through but it's not me it's you, it's you…it's you."  
  
The music slowly began to fade as the guitarist played softer and softer. After making sure he wasn't going to continue, Merle stood up and applauded. "Wow, that was awesome!"  
  
Hearing her voice, the guy lifted his head, giving her a clear view of his face. He looked just as surprised to see her, as she was to see him. Merle had to blink twice, making sure she was seeing right. This couldn't be! No wonder why he looked so familiar. The singer was no other than Folken!  
  
~Song: You, by Switchfoot~  
  
***Big surprise there, lol. I hope it wasn't that obvious it was him. I bet some of you knew all along. Oh well. I told you that hitomi wasn't going to be completely out of the play. Hehe, I had that planed all along. ^_^ Didn't expect that did you? Will Hitomi accept the role of Roxane? What happened to Meredith? What is Folken going to say to Merle? How is Merle going to react? Find out, in the next chapter. ^^ I just love cliffhangers! Gets me more reviews. *Evil smile* as always R&R!!! Later, Bishouji88*** 


	21. A Challenge

Chapter Twenty-one: A Challenge  
  
"I'm sorry," Merle apologized, "I didn't know it was you."  
  
Folken stood up from his chair, gently laid his guitar onto the floor and with one swift moved, jumped down from the stage. Merle studied his profile closely as he slowly walked towards her. He was wearing loose jeans, a white t-shirt and an unbuttoned dark blue shirt over it. His hair was a little messy and uncombed. It gave him a lazy, yet extremely sexy look. It made her wonder why she never paid so much attention to his looks; maybe it was the fact that they were always arguing.  
  
"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult." He said approaching her.  
  
"It was a compliment," she reassured him quickly.  
  
"Okay."  
  
She nervously added, "You sound good,"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"I didn't know you played guitar, not-that-I-ever-doubted-that-you- couldn't." 'Why am I so nervous?' Merle asked herself, 'It was just Folken.' But something about him was different today. Of course, he looked gorgeous but it was something else too. He didn't have a cold look in his eyes. He looked calmed and relaxed (did I forget to mention gorgeous?).  
  
"I get gigs sometimes," he said.  
  
His voice sapped Merle out of her thoughts, "What?"  
  
"I perform," he said again, "sometimes, at the coffee shop across the street."  
  
"Cool."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
She searched for something to say, the silence between them was really bothering her, "did you write the song yourself?"  
  
"Yeah, it helps me clear my mind."  
  
"Cool," she said again, "you sound good."  
  
Folken let out a small laugh, "you said that already."  
  
"Oh," Merle blushed, "Sorry." 'Stupid, stupid, stupid,' she mentally hit herself on the head, 'just leave it up to Merle to make a big fool out of herself.'  
  
"No prob." He answered casually. "So…"  
  
"So…" she repeated. "I better get back to gym," she gave him an uneasy smile.  
  
"'Kay, I guess I'll see you around."  
  
"Yeah," Merle gave him one last smile and turned around to leave. 'Keep your head up high, don't look back, don't fall or do anything stupid.' She said to herself. After reaching the door, she turned around to see if he was still watching her. Fortunately, he already turned around and got back to his music. Merle let out a sigh of relief, "God, I'm such a loser."  
  
***  
  
"Wow, I don't know what to say," Hitomi said completely amazed, "what about Meredith?"  
  
"You and I both know that she isn't really fit for the part, not only because her French level is rather low. Her heart just is not into the play and we cannot let her dragged everyone else down." Mr. Lafortain gave Hitomi a sad smile, "I know this is a lot to ask, but you have been helping her with all her lines and I do believe you know you them by heart as well."  
  
Hitomi gradually nodded and waited for him to continue, "I know that you are struggling in your current situation, and I want you to know I would never ask such a thing unless it was absolutely necessary."  
  
Hitomi thought for a while and replied, "I think it's obvious that Roxane isn't a part I would like to do at this time…but the most I can say is that I'd have to think about it…How 'bout I let you know tomorrow night at practice?"  
  
"That would be wonderful. Thank you so much."  
  
***  
  
*Ring…*  
  
The last bell for the day ran and the student immediately got up to leave. Hitomi packed up her books and wrote down her French homework on a piece of paper. She lifted her head just in time to see Van leave. Their eyes met for a split second but turned away quickly. They haven't had a conversation since a week. In a way, Hitomi was glad that Van knew she needed some space. She told herself that she didn't want to be involved in any kind of relationship so soon but every time their eyes met (which happened quiet a few times) she caught herself wishing that there were something between them. She also wondered if he still felt the same way about her. She didn't forget the scene at the parking lot where he made it clear that he wasn't going to wait for her any longer. But he did stand up for her when she caught Allen. Of course, she told him that she didn't want him to always be trying to protect her. But she didn't say that she wanted him to stop caring for her. Her conscious was told her that she was being selfish, her mind told her she shouldn't be thinking of him and her heart…god knows what her heart was feeling. Hitomi shook her head clear, thinking about Van always made her confused (and she confused a little to often. A/N: wink-wink, cough-cough, hint-hint.)  
  
Hitomi looked up at the clock. '2:43, just enough time to get to track.' As she gathered up her books to leave, she noticed that she wasn't the only person left in the room. Feeling very annoyed, she tried to walk pass Allen without making eye contact.  
  
"I know you saw me," He called out just before she walked out the door.  
  
Hitomi left out a long sigh and turned around, "Allen please, why can't you leave me alone?"  
  
"Because you haven't given me a chance to explain."  
  
"Explain what?" she exclaimed, "Explain why you cheated on me? I'm sorry but I'm not really in the mood for hearing your reason." She looked at him straight in the eye to show him that she was serious, "We're over, get that through your head."  
  
"If we are really over, than why are you afraid to accept the part of Roxane?" Allen questioned.  
  
"I'm not afraid!" she said not believing what she just heard, "wait…how did you hear about that?"  
  
"I have my ways."  
  
"So do you like, have people follow my every move?" she asked.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"This is unbelievable! Stay out of my life." Hitomi was so mad; she felt like throwing her books at him.  
  
Allen moved towards her and took her hand before she could pull away. "That's just it, I can't. I can't stay out of your life. I can't sleep, I can't think, I can't eat. You're all I think about Hitomi." He reached out and slowly turned her face towards him. "I can't stand not being with you…I love you." He leaned forward to kiss her but Hitomi struggled out of his embrace.  
  
"No you don't, if you did, you wouldn't have cheated on me." She said defensively.  
  
"I wasn't thinking. I didn't know what I had until I lost it." Allen actually looked really sincere as he said that. "Please Hitomi, give me another chance."  
  
"I'm sorry, you already had you chance. Plus I'm sure there are many girls who would love to date you. They are much more popular and prettier than me, it shouldn't be a-"  
  
"If you really are over me, then why is it that you won't accept the role of Roxane?" Allen asked her again.  
  
'Because of Van…' she thought but said out loud, "it's none of your business."  
  
"I still don't believe you. Look, if you can handle going through all the practices and shows with me, then I'll believe that you really are completely over me." He challenged.  
  
Hitomi thought for a while, then asked, "And then you'll stop bugging me and sending me gifts?"  
  
"Promise."  
  
'Is it worth it? I'd finally get him off my back and maybe, just maybe I can get things straighten out between me and Van…'  
  
"Fine, I'll do it," she agreed.  
  
***  
  
"I don't get this!" Merle cried out frustrated. She has been sitting in front of her math book for hours and only managed to solve one problem. 'This is useless,' she thought, 'when am I ever going to use algebra in my life anyways?' She shut her book close and laid back into her chair. Downstairs, she could hear the sound of her mom doing the dishes, mixed up with the noises coming form the T.V. Outside, the kids were playing jump rope and screaming on the top of their lungs. That was probably why Merle couldn't concentrate. It might also have to do with a certain somebody who kept on popping into her mind.  
  
"I have to get out of here," she decided. But where to go? She could go to a friend's house but they were probably busy. It was only 7:30, she could probably take a walk to the park and get back before 9. There, she can get some quiet time to think. Making up her mind, Merle reached over for her jacket that was on the ground and walked out of her room. She made her way down a narrow hallway, passing the bathroom and her parent's master bedroom. Reaching the first floor, she made a quick detour to tell her mom where she was headed.  
  
Once reaching the park, the first thing Merle saw was a couple making out under a tree. 'Great,' she thought, 'just what I needed.' Slowly, she began to wonder what it might be like if she was here with someone too. It'd be nice to have a guy kiss her and hold her the same way most couples did. But the she wanted some more than just an ordinary boyfriend. Merle wanted someone who liked her for who she was. Someone who can understand her, someone who would look at her the same way Van looked at Hitomi. And she knew exactly who she wanted that person to be.  
  
It wasn't that Merle was unattractive. Guys told her that she was hot all the time, but it didn't make a difference. Realizing that she has been staring at the couple for a while, Merle quickly walked away, hoping that they did not notice her.  
  
"I wonder what Folken is doing right now," she said to herself. Ever since this afternoon, she hasn't been able to stop thinking about him. In her mind, Merle played the conversation they had over and over again until something caught her attention. '"I perform, sometimes, at the coffee shop across the street."' A mischievous smile appeared on her face as she suddenly got an idea.  
  
***Ick…sorry for the poor grammar and writing. I just had state testing all week and it killed the few brain cells I had. _ So what is Merle thinking? What will she do? Find out in the next chapter. What do you guys think about Allen? Do you think he really is sorry about what he did to Hitomi or does he have another reason for wanting her back so badly? Review and tell me what you think. Until then! Laterz! Bishouji88*** 


	22. Outburst

Chapter Twenty-two: Outburst  
  
Merle quietly pushed open the doors to the café, hoping not attract anyone's attention. The usual crowded after school hangout was almost empty. The tables by the window were all vacant, and some late coffee addicts took the comfortable sofas at the back. A rich scent of fresh beans and soft jazz music filled the air, giving the place a casual yet classy atmosphere. Merle walked over to the counter and ordered herself a small cup of French Vanilla. She quickly scanned the room as the waitress went to make her drink. It was obvious that nothing big was planned for tonight. Every student had their heads plunged into a big book. They looked like they were lost in their own world of English literature and science fiction.  
  
The waitress came back with the drink but immediately returned to wiping counters. She didn't bother to say one word or even look at her costumer. 'My, aren't we friendly tonight,' Merle thought as she took a sip of her coffee. There was no point in staying here all night. The possibility of Folken being here tonight was even smaller than the possibility that Allen Shezar actually has a heart. (A/N: Sorry Allen fans, but I think I made it pretty clear by now that he's not one of my fav. characters.) But there was still a little 'what if' keeping her from leaving. Finally, Merle decided to ask Miss Cheerfulness if she had any ideas about the performances. After all, their nametag did say 'We're here to serve your needs' with a happy face that would make Julia Robert's smile look depressing. And plus who wouldn't want to help a girl in need?  
  
"Um, excuse me," Merle cleared her throat, trying to get the girl's attention.  
  
The tall slender blond answered without bothering to look up, "Refills are a buck."  
  
Merle shook her head, "that's not what I wanted to know. I was wondering if you had a list of performers and what nights they played."  
  
"Who are you looking for?" the girl asked, suddenly interested.  
  
"Folken," she answered right away, "He's tall-"  
  
"I know who he is," she cut in, "But he's not playing tonight. You can try your luck again tomorrow or Saturday." And with that, she left Merle to finish her drink in silence.  
  
***  
  
Folken jumped out of his jeep and locked the door closed. It was getting late but he didn't feel like going home just yet. He walked into the café and sat down at his usual place by the window, by the corner. He immediately saw a familiar female and gave her a half a smile as she approached him.  
  
"So wait will it be?" Tory asked returning his smile. (A/N: haha, I bet you guys thought it was Merle didn't you? ^_^)  
  
"Same as usual." He answered and watched her walk away. No matter how many times he saw her, he still couldn't believe how much she resembled her sister. The shiny blond hair, the big eyes, the long legs, they all reminded him of Sora, his Sora. Of course, they did have their differences; Tory's hair is straight, while Sora's were a little curvy and paler. Sora's features were most soft, probably due to the difference in age. His friends used to joke about how he could date Tory since they practically looked like twins, but he would never do such a thing. Dating Tory would be like trying to replace Sora. That was out of the question, for no one on this earth could ever replace her.  
  
"Someone was looking for you today," Tory's voice snapped Folken back into reality as she sat down across from him.  
  
"Yeah?" he tried to sound interested.  
  
"This one actually knew you're name."  
  
"Probably from school."  
  
"She's a pretty one, big eyes, short hair…short pink hair."  
  
Folken's eyes light up as he heard the words 'short pink hair'. It couldn't be her. There were many girls around here with pink hair…at lest he thought there were. Know way would she actually come looking for him. He only mentioned that he played, he didn't even say which café in particular. Nah, it couldn't be her…  
  
"So I guess you know her," Tory said, unable to keep herself from smiling.  
  
"No, what would make you think that?"  
  
"Your eyes light up, I haven't seen that in a long time."  
  
Folken reached over for his drink and tried to ignore the comment. 'Damn, why did I left myself get all excited over that?' he cursed at himself. Just a second ago, he was thinking about how life used to be like with Sora around and now, his mind was racing 90 miles an hour just because of something he wasn't even sure of.  
  
"There's no use pretending you don't care," she interrupted him again, "last time I checked, it was normal for an 18 year old guy to be interested in girls. If you don't, then that would be a problem."  
  
"I never said I was interested in her, I don't even know who you're talking about." Suddenly he felt like a stubborn 12 years old under Tory's gaze. They sat in silence for a while until she slowly reached over to touch his hand. "You know, it's okay if you like her."  
  
"How said anything about liking her?" Folken pulled his hand away from her and practically snapped. "You spend one year in college and you turn into Miss. I-know-it-all ?"  
  
"This isn't about me Folken, it's about you!" this time Tory raised her voice, "I'm not the one acting like a little kid." She let out a long sigh and switched back to a softer tone, "Sora's gone, you and I both know that she's not coming back." Folken could hear the hurt in her voice as she said those words but he couldn't stop the rising anger, "I didn't come here to hear you lecture me on how to run my life! I can't just forget about everything! My girlfriend's life was taken away by some jackass who couldn't control his own damn car! I don't just forget things like that, but obviously you do."  
  
Tory was completely taken back by Folken's outburst. He never spoke to her like that before. She couldn't believe it. Who was he to judge how she felt about her sister's death. "You're not the only one who's hurting! I lost a sister! I lost a best friend! I lost the only person I thought who would always be there for me. Don't you think I'm hurting too?" She rose and slammed her hands onto the table. "I act the way I do because I don't want mom and dad to see me cry! They have already enough pain to deal with."  
  
Folken sat there speechless. He felt like such an asshole for saying what he said. Of course Tory felt bad, her whole family was devastated by the incident. She spent her time trying to make everyone feel better while he just sat in a corner and felt bad for himself. He opened his mouth to apologize but she stopped him, "look, I'm not telling you how to run your life," Tory said running her hands through her hair, "I just think it's about time that you moved on…I know Sora would have wanted that." She gave him a sad smile and walked back to her job.  
  
***  
  
Hitomi nervously walked up to her French teachers office the next day. She wasn't able to get much sleep last night because she kept on thinking about the play. Should she or shouldn't she accept the part? Hitomi decided to give him an answer early in the morning so she didn't have to go through the trouble of constantly changing her mind. She arrived to school half an hour earlier than usual. As she stood in front of the closed door, she felt her confidence drifting away. They were replaced by more nervousness and uncertainties. She knocked on the door right away before totally chickening out. Within a few minutes, the doorknob started to turn and the door slowly opened. To her surprise, the person standing in front of her was not a 50 years old man but a young handsome guy with dark raven hair.  
  
***  
  
"Um, hi" Hitomi said pushing a strand of lose hair behind her ear. This was not who she expected to see at 6:45 in the morning. Though she was surprised, Hitomi couldn't help smiling at the look on Van's face when he saw her. It reflected a brief moment of shock but it was quickly replaced by a warm smile. As usual, he looked great. The sleeves of his white t- shirt were rolled up revealing his well-formed arm muscles, and his wide hair-which he tired unsuccessfully to push back with his hand-fell directly in front of his eyes.  
  
"Wow, hey..." He said. "Sorry if I look all dumb folded, it's just I didn't expect to see you."  
  
"Me neither," she returned his smile, "I came to see Mr. Lafortain."  
  
"Oh, he's not here, he went to get coffee or something. He let's me use his room in the morning to practice my lines." He raised his hand to show her his script. "Why don't you come in and wait for him."  
  
Hitomi accepted the offer and walked into the room. The a small office looked somewhat like a big storage room. There were no windows so the room was light by bright florescent lights. Hitomi walked over and took a seat by the desk, "So how is the play coming long?"  
  
Van let out a small sigh and ran his hand through his hair once more, "If you mean my part, it's going really well, but if you mean the whole play altogether, it's not going too well."  
  
"Why, what wrong?"  
  
"I don't know if you heard but we don't have a Roxane anymore." He was about to continue to explain but Hitomi cut him off. "Yeah, that's actually why I came to talk to Mr. Lafortain. He offered me the role."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah…" she waited for him to say something but he never did. "Aren't you going to say how crazy I must be fore actually considering it?"  
  
"No," Van answered simply. "I'm sure you already got enough of that from your friends and family," he joked and then turned serious, "plus, I'm sure whatever you decide to do will be the right choice."  
  
Hitomi smiled at his comment and studied him closely as he began to practice his role. She was glad that he was facing sideways; this way, he couldn't see her staring at him. It was weird how Van barely even knew her but somehow always managed to know what she needed. She felt a strange sensation within as she watched him recite his lines. It was like a mixture of pure joy and pain. She couldn't explain it. Van must of felt it too for he suddenly stopped and turned to face her. They stood (A/N: actually he stood and she sat ~_~;) there, gazing into each others eyes for what seemed like a really long time until Hitomi finally pulled away. She could still sense his eyes on her as she began to look for something in the room to divert their attention.  
  
"Is that yours?" she asked, pointing to a duffel bag.  
  
"Yeah, we have a swim meet today."  
  
"Oh right, I forgot that you're on the school swim team."  
  
"No prob., it's not very popular around here anyways," he said with a small laugh, "did you notice how cheerleaders never cheer for the swim team or anything like that?"  
  
"Not really…"she admitted. "You mad?"  
  
"No, I was just wondering why." The look on his face made Hitomi want to do something to cheer him up. It didn't seem to bother him but it looked like he was a little bit disappointed. Without thinking, she blurted out, "Well, if you want I can come and cheer for you guys today." She blushed as soon as she realized what she just said.  
  
"Really?" he asked walking towards her with a smirk on his face.  
  
"Well…I mean…" she stuttered, "I can get my friends to come…and…we can cheer for all of you…you know…support the team and stuff…"  
  
"Will you be wearing a mini-skirt and holding pomp-pomps?" he mocked.  
  
"No." Hitomi laughed.  
  
Van pretended look hurt but soon join in on the laugher.  
  
All of a sudden, the door swung open, relieving Mr. Lafortain who was holding a cup of coffee and a newspaper. Hitomi and Van straighten up their postures and greeted him with a smile. Mr. Lafortain looked at Hitomi and then to Van, as if trying to find out what just happened between them. "Well I'm glad to see that you two are getting along so well. If all goes as planned, you will be seeing a lot of each other." He walked over to his desk and sat down onto his chair with an amused look on his face.  
  
"Actually, that's why I came here sir." Hitomi said, "to talk to you about the play."  
  
"You have made a decision?"  
  
Hitomi nodded and Van said, "Well, I'd better leave so you guys can talk." He picked up his bag and walked towards the door, "Thanks again for letting me use your room,"  
  
After Van left, the teacher motioned Hitomi to sit down. "You know you can always wait until tonight to give me your answer. It will give you more time to think about it. I do not want you to regret your decision."  
  
Hitomi took a deep breath and answered, "I thought about it all night and I'm afraid that if I think any longer about it, my brain will explode."  
  
The gray haired man laughed, "Very well then. Correct me if I am wrong but I believe that it is now safe to declare you as our new Roxane."  
  
***It's me again! How did you like this chapter? I tried to make it a lil longer for those who have been asking me too write more. So what do you think about Folken? Will Hitomi actually go to Van's swim meet? Find out in the next chapter!!! Btw, I was really touched by those who spend the time to review (or email or im, me about) my story. Thank you guys ssssooo much! I've replied to your reviews so look under for your name. ^_^ R&R!***  
  
Ali: hehe, Merle reminds me of myself sometimes. I try to make them like normal teenagers. Thanks!  
  
Teardrop Niki: Allen is a pain but without him who will we make fun of and watch get humiliate? Hehe.  
  
Soprano Songbird: I'm waiting for it to arrive. When the piano does come, you'll be the first to know. ^_~  
  
T_bunny0: I'm writing, I'm writing. Lol.  
  
TigerWolf: Thank you! I'm glad people like it.  
  
Red Ninja: I thought it'd be cool for Merle to have someone of her own too. I'll try to work on the corny part.  
  
Goatman: I'm working on that. ^_^  
  
dancegoddess: *Blushes* Thanks! I'll keep writing if you keep reviewing.  
  
Pyja: hehe, suspense gets me more reviews.  
  
Ryan: Yeah, I try to surprise my readers. I'm glad you like it so much.  
  
Rinny: I'm don't plan on abandoning this fic anytime soon so no need to worry. ^_^  
  
lol-: Sorry, Allen isn't exactly my favorite character. I'm sure you noticed that already. I do remember warning Allen favs a few chapters ago. I'm still glad u continued to read!  
  
Magicman: I feel the same way about him. Lol.  
  
Miyoshi: I guess this is the chapter for you, there's a lot of coffee in it. I'm really into coffee too. ^_~  
  
Ti-TiKutie4ever: I'll keep updating and you keep on reviewing! hehe  
  
Sereneblaze: Guess you'll have to wait to find out. Hope you liked it! 


	23. Cheers

Chapter Twenty-three: Cheers  
  
Folken shoved his books into his locker and slammed the door close. He pulled his car keys out of his pocket and walked down the hall. He had just about enough of this damn school for one day. So screw all the afternoon classes, he'll make them up another day. Right now, what he need was to get out of here, go somewhere quiet and clear his mind. As he walked past some more lockers, Folken caught the sight of a couple wrapped up in an intimate embrace. 'Don't these people have anything better to do?' As if hearing his remark, the couple broke apart and turned around to face him. For a splice second, Folken thought that the face of the girl looked familiar. He shook his head and blinked several times. 'Damnit! It's happening again!' he cursed under his breath, 'I gotta get eyes checked.' He shook his head once more and continued to walk.  
  
The more he thought about what just happened, the more it bothered him. Folken knew very well that there was nothing wrong with his eyes. It was his mind playing tricks on him again. He was seeing her again. Seeing her everywhere he went.  
  
It was a phase he thought he was over with. Right after the crash, Sora's face was everywhere he looked. It followed him wherever he went and haunted him is his sleep. Gradually, things began to get a little better, and she slowly disappeared from his vision but never left his mind or heart. He longed to hold her hand, to taste her lips or even just to see her face again. And he did. She reappeared in his dreams last night; but this time, she was different. She did not look afraid or hurt, her face showed no signs of suffering or pain. Last night, for the first time since her death, Sora seemed happy.  
  
***  
  
Hitomi walked into the school swim area and looked around for a decent spot to sit. The gym was mostly empty expect for a few people sitting on the risers. Most of the seemed completely oblivious to the fact that there was to be a swim meet. They were all wearing headphones and doing was looked like homework. Hitomi sat down on the bottom row near the finish line. She dropped her duffel bag onto the ground and raised the head to look around. The pool was pretty big, 20 yards wide and 50 yards long. The shallow side started at 5 feet deep, gradually descending to 15 feet. The water was crystal blue and smelled of too much chlorine. The only audible sound came from the gym lockers, and the tapping of raindrops falling onto the roof. An unexpected storm hit earlier in the afternoon, causing all outdoors activities (including track) to be cancelled.  
  
Hitomi nervously twisted the side of her sleeve as she waited for the swim met to start. From what she heard, the Gaia Sharks were competing against the Brandywine Torpedoes. The Torpedoes are supposed to be a pretty tough team to beat but Hitomi was sure they wouldn't have any problem with Van on the team. She had her doubts about coming here this afternoon. It was just a joke when she suggested it to Van but he seemed to like the idea. Since track was cancelled, Hitomi thought it was probably worth a shot. After all, it did give her a nice excuse to see Van in a Speedo.  
  
"Thank you all for coming to today's swim meet against the Brandywine Torpedoes."  
  
Hitomi was so busy thinking about Van that she hardly noticed that people started to come out of the locker rooms. The announcer began to announce the swimmer and Hitomi noticed that some people began to pack their things to leave. 'Why is everyone leaving?' she thought, 'How can they be so rude?' Her anger rose has more people started to leave. 'Fine if they're not going to support our team, then I will.' She stood up onto the bench and screamed, "GO GAIA!!!" The remanding people stared at her as if she was going crazy but Hitomi didn't care. "Come on! Work with me people!" she demanded, "GO GAIA!!!" The majority of the people started to clap but the others that just rolled their eyes.  
  
By the time Van came out, Hitomi had gotten everyone to cheer. She was standing on the bleachers, waving her arms in the air and reciting every cheer she could remember. Normally, she would have felt like a complete fool but for once, it was fun to not care about what the others though and go wide. As a bonus, the look on Van's face when he saw her was priceless. It was a mixture of excitement and surprise. The whole scene was definitely a Kodak moment.  
  
***  
  
Hitomi watched closely as Van got ready for the last lap. She blushed slightly at the sight of his body. His Speedo didn't leave much up to imagination. She knew that Van stayed in form but she never pictured him to look this good. He wasn't like those really pumped guys who liked to show of their muscles; Van's body possessed a nature form of hardness. (A/N: please people, this is rated PG-13. so no nasty thoughts). Hitomi's eyes rested on his abs for a minute. 'One, two, three, four, five, six. Oh my…'  
  
She blushed harder as Van caught her gaze. He gave her a smirk that said, 'I know what you were just doing.' Ever since he came out, Van has been sneaking glances at her. Not too much to make the coach notice but just enough to tell her that she was on his mind.  
  
Van got onto the platform and put on his goggles. The whistle went off and he dived straight into the water. Hitomi held her breathe as she watched him move swiftly through the water. His powerful legs kicked the current and his arms dug repeatedly into the water to pull him forward. His head came up for air and he continued to swim nonstop.  
  
"Wow, look at that Van guy go," a freshmen girl said with admiration.  
  
"Yeah, he's sssooo hot," her friend answered, "I wonder if he's single…"  
  
"If he is, I want him!"  
  
Hitomi felt a hint of jealousy as she listened to the two girls giggle over Van. She wanted to tell them that he was taken but he wasn't. She wanted to tell those girls that Van would never be interested in them but who was she to decide what kind of girls he liked? The more she thought about it, the dumber she felt. Why did she choose Allen or Van? Why was she so blind? Van is obviously the better choice. He's sweet, honest, caring, and extremely hot. Why did she have to pick the jackass who couldn't keep his hands of other girls? 'I should have never dated Allen,' she thought, 'back then Van was interested in me and I had refused him. And now…' Hitomi sighed and turned her attention back to the pool. It was no use getting depressed over it now.  
  
Van reached one end of the pool; he made a quick flip and kicked on the wall to go backwards. The swim back had to be in backstroke style, a style that Van managed perfectly. A wide smile appeared on Hitomi's face as she saw that he was in the lead. A second swimmer was approaching fast but not fast enough to surpass Van. She stood up to as he approached the finish line. The other swimmer was catching up really fast and it looked like it was going to be a close call. "Come on Van…you can do it…" she whispered. The two swimmers were equal distance from the finish line. Van must have seen the other guy because he suddenly began to swim faster. Within seconds, he reached out his hand and touched the wall. A cheer exploded throughout the gym as the Sharks won.  
  
***  
  
Hitomi waited patiently as everyone else went to congratulate Van on his performance. She wanted him to enjoy his moment of glory, so decided to leave him alone. Van looked up from the crowd and gave her a sad smile, apologizing for the fact that he was surrounded. She returned the smile with more warmth, telling him to take his time.  
  
It was around half an hour later that the crowd around him finally died out. The gym was practically empty as Van went back to the lockers to change. The storm clouds outside darkened the sky, making it appear later than it actually was. Hitomi began to wonder if she should leave when Van came out of the locker room. He was dressed in shorts and a white t-shirt. His hair was still wet from the swim. He looked a little worn out. Van walked over and sat down beside her but made no effort to start a conversation. None of them bothered to move or speak. They just sat there in the dark, enjoying each other's company.  
  
"I'm really glad you came today," Van said after a while.  
  
"Me too, I had fun," she admitted, turning to face him. "And you were right about the swim team not getting much support."  
  
"I had all the support I'll ever need today."  
  
Hitomi turned away, not wanting him to see her blush. "The water looks so cold."  
  
"Yeah it is when you first dive in, but you get used to it after a while."  
  
"How deep is it?" she asked.  
  
"Why don't you go in and find out?" Van suggested with an amused look on his face.  
  
She laughed, "You're kidding right?"  
  
"Nope" he shook his head and replied seriously.  
  
"I…I can't…"  
  
"Why?" Van got up to his feet and looked down upon her.  
  
"I-I don't have a bathing suit."  
  
"Who said anything about a bathing suit?"  
  
Hitomi's eyes went wide with shock, "You mean you want us to go skinny dipping?"  
  
"I was thinking that you could wear your t-shirt and shorts but if you want to, that's find with me," he joked.  
  
"Fanel!" a shout interrupted their conversation, "I gotta run." The coach called out from the exit door. He was a short, a little over weight, bald and looked about in his 40s. "Clock up after you leave." He glanced over at Hitomi and finished in a teasing voice, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."  
  
Hitomi blushed harder and joked, "I guess that counts out skinny dipping."  
  
"I wouldn't underestimate the old guy," Van reached out to pull her up. "So you coming?"  
  
"I can't" she objected. 'God, he's going to think I'm a wuss,' she thought. 'But at lest it's better than me making a big fool out of myself…"  
  
"What's wrong now?"  
  
'Should I tell him? Will he make fun of me?' she asked herself. "I…I can't swim." She admitted at last.  
  
"That's it? That's no problem. I'll teach you." He offered.  
  
Before she could react, Van pulled her from her seat and led her towards the pool. Hitomi stared at the water and tired to estimate the approximate depth. '6 feet? 10 feet?' she wondered, 'Lord, what did I get myself into this time.'  
  
"It's 5 feet," he answered her question. "You can stand up, and when we get a little deeper, I'll help you stay a float. But if you really don't want to do it, I understand." He assured her. "I don't want to pressure you onto doing anything you don't want to."  
  
Hitomi stared at the water uncertainly. 'Go ahead,' a voice inside encouraged, 'it's about time you learned anyways.' She took a deep breath and said out loud, "Okay, teach me how to swim."  
  
***Yay! Done! Hehe. I know this chapter was a little short but I wanted to leave the rest for the next chapter. I have something to ask…did I make Folken situation sound too pathetic? I wanted it to show how hurt he was and how much he wants Sora back. Maybe I went a little over board…What do you think? One more lil note, if I don't explain something and leave you guys hanging, it's probably because you're not supposed to know what happened (or happens) yet. Don't worry, by the time it's all over (which will be pretty soon…few more chapters to go) I'll have everything explained. So R&R and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible.***  
  
KawaiiBloss: thanks for IMing me since you couldn't review.  
  
Carrie: I hope this one was just as good. ^_^  
  
Ria Fanel: I'll try to write more next time.  
  
SexyChick: hehe, thank you.  
  
DragonSun: hate is a strong word…I strongly dislike him. sure I'll read it. Tell me when u post it.  
  
Cat: I will, don't worry, it's not finished yet.  
  
scharm0119: lol, you're number 200th!!! I'm glad ur finally caught up. ^_^  
  
Krista:? I'm confused…I just updated 23 today…  
  
Demus: hahahahah! I'm agree totally!  
  
Miyoshi: Van is hott…he's my all time fav anime guy. ^^  
  
Hello: wow, everyday? Let me help u out, I update usually once every two weeks. I update Normal Life one week and then Not My Kind the next.  
  
Lola: *blushes* thanks!  
  
Magical Dream: lol, are u giggling because of Van?  
  
EmpressMish: what do you think about the whole Folken/Sora thing?  
  
Sakura Scout: sorry this one was kinda short. ~_~;;  
  
Ryan: hehe, I'm glad u like it so much. Thanks  
  
Pyja: there's even more V/H in the next one. But sssshhh!  
  
Soprano Songbird: more details on them soon.  
  
TigerWolf: Tory is Sora's sister, I'm sorry about the confusion.  
  
MysticEyes: I'll try my best.  
  
dancegoddess: maybe she will fall…*writes that down as an idea* ^_^  
  
winter light: thank you, I hope u keep on reading  
  
Ria Fanel: I've made Va like an asshole? Btw what's ASTIG?  
  
Sereneblaze: hehe, favorite stories? Wow, I feel special. Lol  
  
Ti-TiKutie4ever: no wings. Sigh~ that would be kool though, I love his wings. *dreamy look*  
  
Ali: haha, I wonder when he's going to give into his feelings. 


	24. Memories

Chapter Twenty-Four: Memories  
  
It had been half an hour since Van finally convinced Hitomi to going into the pool. Since then, he taught her the basics rules of swimming. She had learned everything pretty fast and wondered why she never tried before.  
  
"Are you sure you never learned how to swim before?" Van asked, amazed with her progress. She shook her head and smiled at his compliment. "Wow," he ran his hand through his wet hair, "either you're a fast leaner or I'm a really good teacher." He watched her swim slowly around the shallow end of the pool. She concentrated on every movement, trying to perfect every kick. Hitomi enjoyed the feeling of floating in the water. She felt light as a feather. She was still afraid of drowning, but having Van beside her washed away all the fears.  
  
"With a few more practices, you'll be just as good as some of the guys on our team."  
  
"Are you offering to teach me?" Hitomi smiled, swimming towards him.  
  
"It will be my pleasure," he said in a fake English accent, making her giggle.  
  
"Oh my," she played along, "how will I ever repay you?"  
  
Van smiled devilishly and answered, "I'm sure we can come up with something."  
  
Hitomi's face dropped and she stood up to get a clearer look at him. There was something in his voice that made her nervous. Not scared nervous, more like excited nervous. 'What did he mean by that?' she wondered. A wave of silence suddenly washed over them, as they stood motionless in the pool. Hitomi's gaze meet Van's and she was once again stuck by how good he looked in the dark. His eyes danced as the water reflected a dim light upon them. His wild hair, fattened by the water, fell onto his eyes, making them seen even larger than they were already.  
  
At the same time, Van was fight his own emotions, 'Why did I have to say that and make her all feel uncomfortable? He cursed at himself. 'Damn she looks good…' He watched her closely, and noticed that her lower lip was trembling. He didn't know if it was because she was cold or because she was scared. Her expression was unreadable but there was a kind of hopeful look in her eyes. Van didn't know what he liked better, her eyes or her lips. Her eyes are big, green and mysterious looking. The more you stared into them, the harder it was to pull away. And her lips weren't any less attractive. Her perfectly shaped lips were full and rosy. They look so smooth; it made Van wonder what they tasted like.  
  
'You can find out…' a voice in his mind chanted, 'just reach over, pull her towards you and-' 'NO!' Van shook his head, breaking the eye contact he had with her. He couldn't let himself think like that. Not at a time like this, not when she just when through what she did, not when she was looking so damn good. If he gave in, he wouldn't trust himself to stop. 'Don't think of that, don't think of that,' he kept on repeating in is mind, 'don't think of …Hitomi-No! Don't think of that…'  
  
"Er…I'm going to go do a few laps," he said to her quickly, not daring to look at her reaction, "I'll be right back." 'Some swimming and cold water will cool me down,' he thought, 'God it'd better…'  
  
***  
  
Merle zipped up her jacket as she entered the park. The wind had suddenly picked up, making everything a lot colder. It was times like these that she wished she had a hot cup of coffee to warm her up. 'Maybe I should have listened to mom and stayed home tonight,' she thought, pulling her jean jacked closer to her body.  
  
Her mom wasn't too happy when Merle informed her that she was going out for another walk. "A pretty girl of such a young age shouldn't be wandering alone in an unfamiliar park at night," were her exact words. Despite the older women's advice, Merle felt the need to be alone. She had come to realize that walking in that park, under the stars had a special effect on her. The stroll helped her clear her mind and settle all the ragging hormones inside.  
  
Merle took a left turn on a dirt road and headed towards her usual resting spot. During her last exploration of the park. Merle had come to find a small wooden bench, isolated form everything else that stood on top of a small hill, looking over the town. You had to go through a little trouble getting there (like cutting through trees, jumping over dead bushes and over other weird looking plants) but it was worth the effort. The spot provided privacy, peace, and not to mention a great view. It had become Merle's secret hiding place where she went to escape from the outside world.  
  
She immediately noticed something different as she arrived at her special spot. Something about the surrounding changed. At first she thought something was missing but she soon realized that it was the complete opposite, something had been added on, and that something was sitting on her bench!  
  
***  
  
'I just think it's about time that you moved on…I know Sora would have wanted that…' Folken shook his head and rubbed his face with his hands. Why is it that he couldn't get Tory's voice out of his head? He didn't want to move on, he didn't want to forget Sora; he didn't want to be with someone else. At least that's what he thought a week ago. The frustrated senior closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. What is it about this girl that keep on making him think about her. It wasn't like she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, and she was far off from being gentle or nice but he was unbelievably attracted to her. He hadn't felt like this ever since he first saw Sora. And she was anything but like Sora.  
  
Sora was the sweetest most caring person he ever knew. She was smart, fun and beautiful. Folken smiled to himself as he recalled their first meeting.  
  
***  
  
It was the week before their big football game against the Brandywine Lions and coach had threatened to pull him off the team if he didn't score a C or higher on the upcoming chemistry test. He was forced to spend his free lunch period at the library with his head plunged into books and notes. He had been sitting in the far end of the room, at a small table, hidden by many bookshelves. He was stuck on one particular problem, and though trying very hard, he could not solve it. 'Why do I need to know all these stuff anyways? It's not like I'm going to become a chemist or whatever those lab people are called.' Frustrated, he slammed hand onto the table, creating a loud 'Boom', and that's when he heard her angelic voice. "The answer is B"  
  
He turned his head towards the voice and saw her smiling sweetly at him. "Huh?" he asked, forgetting the chemistry problem. Sora wore her hair down that day, and he could remember seeing it's light blond color and wondering 'Do they even make hair dyes that color?' Only later did he find out that that was her nature color and that she didn't wear any baby blue colored contacts.  
  
She blushed a little and answered, "The question you're trying to answer? It's B: [(CH3)2CH]2CHOH."  
  
"Oh yeah," he ran his hands through his hair, "Sorry, all theses chemical symbols are really killing my brain." He flashed her one of his 'to-die-for smiles' and got up from his seat. "Thanks for your help, I'm-"  
  
"Folken," she finished for him.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry, do I know you?" he apologized. "I have a little memory problem." He joked, pointing to his head.  
  
"I doubt that you know me."  
  
"Than how do you know me?" he questioned.  
  
She let out a small laugh, "How can I not? You're the famous, Folken Lacour. The great football player." (A/N: remember guys, Folken and Van aren't brothers here, so I couldn't use Fanel. Lacour is his middle name in case anyone of you didn't know.)  
  
Folken laughed at her answer. "And you are?"  
  
"Sora, Sora Iizuka." She smiled. (A/N: Erg…Sora doesn't have a last name in the movie so I used the last name of the girl who did her voice. ^_^') "So you look like your having problems there," she pointed to his book which was filled with pencils marks."  
  
"Yeah, Chemistry isn't my strong point." He admitted. "Then again…anything that has to do with school isn't."  
  
"Football is," she pointed out.  
  
"Yeah…that's why I'm working my ass off for this thing. Gotta pass the test or I'm off the team."  
  
She looked around for a second and bit her bottom lip. "Well, if it's that important…I can help you."  
  
"You take chemistry too?"  
  
"Yeah, kinda. Honors chemistry."  
  
"Wow, well if you will to waste your time on me…"  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't call it wasting my time." She said, pulling a chair up to sit beside him.  
  
It turned out that she was not only smart but funny too. They had a surprisingly good time and with her help, Folken was able to score a B- on the test. From that day on, he couldn't get her out of his mind. It felt really weird because she wasn't the kind of girl he usually dated. She had her group of friends and he had his. They were from two different worlds but were able to bond in the short time they spent together.  
  
Soon, Folken began to make up excuses to go to the library during lunch periods, hoping to see her. When he finally did and asked her out, she seemed completely bewildered. They went out on a casual date, a movie and a quick bite and had a great time. To him, it felt good to spend time with a girl who talked about other things than just makeup or fashion. Their bond grew stronger as they spend more time together. Of course, it wasn't always life in paradise. They had their ups and downs like any relationship. His friends thought he was crazy dating a girl like her, his coach complained about him missing practices but it didn't seem to matter all that much anymore. Every second with her felt like scoring a touch down or winning a big game. Sora had managed to bring out a whole knew side of him. A side no one has ever seen before, a side that was forever lost the day he was late for their date, and she was forced to cross Silverside road to take the bus home.  
  
***  
  
Folken buried his face into his palms as flashbacks of blood, and ambulances came flying back into his mind. The questions revolving the scene came rushing back as well. Would she still be alive if he wasn't at practice? Would she still have been hit if he was right by her side? Would it have been his life that was taken away instead of the one of a bright, young, beautiful girl who had a promising future ahead?  
  
His thoughts were broken as the sound of footsteps reached his ears. At first, he though it was just some people walking by but the noise of louder and louder until if finally stopped. 'Who the hell would come here at a time like this?' he thought. Folken turned his head around to see if there was really someone there and indeed there was. He didn't know if he was happy or mad with what he saw.  
  
It couldn't possibly be her. It is supposed to be his and Sora's special place. It is where they shared their first kiss; it is where he went to cry over her death. There was no way SHE could know about it. And yet she did because she was standing right behind him, looking as good as hell, with the same surprised look on her face.  
  
***Short chapter…I know. But it was either this or no updating at all. Lol. Well I hope u guys liked it. More V+H, M+F, and revelations about Sora's death in the next chapter. R&R!!! Bishouji88*** 


	25. Talk

Chapter 25: Talk

       "Oh, um…hi," Merle bit her lower lip. She looked around the area for some kind of distraction to make the moment a little less tense but there was nothing there but the sky, the cit lights and a whole lot of plants. This was the last place on earth that she expected to see Folken. But then again one of their meetings have been planned. 'Why is it that we always run into each other in awkward moments?' she wondered. It was like as if faith wanted to toy with her feelings. She didn't know if she was actually happy to see him. It was hard to explain what she was feeling right then. There was excitement, but there was also fear. Maybe there was a reason why they ran into each other right when she had been thing of him. Maybe someone up there was trying to send some kind of a message. But what if he didn't feel the same away. What if he wanted to alone and was mad that she walked in on him. The reason why she can here in the first place was to try to get him out of her mind. And now, there he was, standing right in front of her. Looking not too happy to see her. 

       Folken stood there speechless. Wondering if he was hallucinating. He had just been thinking of her with she suddenly walked through the bushes. This had to be some kind of a joke. Maybe he fell asleep or something. "Merle?" he managed to say.

       "The one and only," she raised her arms presenting herself. When he didn't respond she smiled nervously, "I wasn't following you or anything…I honestly dind't know that anyone else knew about this place." She waited for him to say something but he just stood there staring. 'God, he doesn't believe me, he must think I'm a freak.' She felt a shock of pain and turned around afraid to face him. "Look, I'm really sorry to bother you. I'll be leaving now."

       It took a while for her words to register into his mind. When they finally did, he ran up to catch her just in time. "Wait, I'm sorry about that," he grabbed her by the arm, directing her back to the bench. "I just wasn't expecting to see you. I was thinking about stuff and when you cam I was just a little…um…" he ran his hand through his hair, searching for the right word to use.

       "Surprised?" Merle suggested.

       "Yeah surprised. I didn't think that anyone else knew about this place neither."

       "Oh," she nodded. Feeling a little uncomfortable, she turned to face antoher direction only to notice that his hand was still on her wrist. T was the first time that they actually had direct skin contact. It felt weird but so good.

       Folken followed her gaze onto her arm and realized that he was still holding her arm firmly. He quickly pulled away, embarrassed. While pulling back, his finger accidentally brushed against her skin. Making Merle blush even more. 'Wow, her skin is soft." He thought, 'it reminds me of…' "No," he thought our loud. He wasn't going to let his mind wander back onto that subject again.

       "No what?" Merle asked, surprised with his sudden remark.

       "Nothing."

       "Oh okay." 

They sat in silence, not knowing what to say after that. Merle pulled her jacket closer, feeling the wind pick up again. Her body shivered through the thin layer of fabric, making her wish once again that she had taken a long a thicker coat. 

"Are you okay?" Folken asked, feeling her tremble.

"I'm fine, just a little cold." She smiled.

Normally, this would have been his cue to rap his arms around her but he didn't move a muscle. Part of him wanted told her; the other part felt strongly against it. Instead, he reached over to his side and handed her a paper cup. "Here, it's not as hot as before but it should keep you warm for a while," he explained giving her the coffee.

       "Thanks." Merle took it hesitantly, not knowing if she was supposed to just hold it or drink it. It was not like Merle to feel nervous or hesitant with a guy. She was used to be doing the attracting, not the falling. Feeling more nervous, she decided not to think about it and tried to enjoy the view.

       The lights coming from the city were parallel to the stars, making the illusion of a large lake reflecting the lights form the sky. The leaves on the tress looked like little dancers, swinging to the rhythm of the wind. There was a soft kind of inaudible music floating in the air. It was nature singing out to the world, showing off it's hidden beauty. If it wasn't for the warm presence beside her, Merle would have thought that she had drifted into an imaginary world.

       Noticing the look of awe on her face, Folken asked, "isn't it beautiful?"

       She slowly turned her face towards him and gave a soft smile. "Yeah, not matter how many times I come here, I'm always amazed by its beauty." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "this place is so peaceful. When I come here it's like I'm walking into a completely different world. I can just forget about all that's going on and focus on the simple things of life. I can release all the complicated emotions I have inside, and feel totally free."

       "Do you come here often?" 

       "I just discovered this place last week. How 'bout you?"                     

"I used to," he sighed, staring straight ahead. He never talked about his feelings to anyone. He didn't like to dump his troubles onto other people. From time to time he would talk to Sora, but that was all he was willing to reveal. With Merle it was no exception. "But for the same reasons as you."

"Oh," she said, understanding right away what he meant. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"You know, you'll feel a lot better if you say it out loud," she said before she could stop herself.

"And what makes you think that I would want to talk about it with you?"

Merle felt her annoyance begin to rise, "I never said it necessarily had to be me! I just think that you should talk about it to someone. If you keep on holding everything in and pushing everyone away, sooner or later you'll go crazy or something."

"Thanks for your advice but I seem to be doing pretty damn fine without your help!" Folken couldn't believe that she had just said that. What is it with women? Why do they think that they know everything about men when they don't? Why was everyone trying to tell him how to live his life?

Merle slammed the coffee cup onto the bench and stoop up, "Folken Lacour, if you only open your eyes a little, you will see that there are other things worth living for and that you're not the only one affected by what happened!"  

"You have no right to be telling me what to do, you don't even know anything!" Folken shouted, standing up as well. 

"Don't give me the 'I'm taller than you so you can't mess with me' shit! I admit, I don't know much about the situation, but what I do know is that no matter you might think, it wasn't your fault!"

***

"What happened next?" Hitomi asked Merle with interest.

       "Well, we screamed at each other a little longer, then he left," she sighed, "he said that he didn't have to star around and take shit from me and told me to stay away from him."

       "Ouch…"

       "Yeah, talk about saying the right things," Merle buried her face in her palms and groaned, "Why can't I ever look before I leap? Now he's probably never going to speak to me again. He hates me."   

       Hitomi put an arm around her friend and patted her shoulder, "he doesn't hate you. He was just pissed off. Look, it's been over a year since his girlfriend's accident. He suddenly went from the school's most poplar guy to the most ignored person in town. He's not used to people speaking to him like that."

       "Well that's his damn fault. Why does he have to be so arrogant?" she pouted. "Out of all the guys in Gaia, why him? Why did I have to fall for him?"

       "Merle, you can't just treat him like that. You both have very stubborn personalities; you should find a way to talk to him without getting angry. He's been through a lot. He just needs someone to open his eyes, and I think you're that someone."

       "You make it sound like a piece of make. Remember, we're talking about Folken Lacour; he's not exactly the whole's easiest person to reason with. Plus you're forgetting the fact that HE WON'T EVEN TALK TO ME NOW!" Merle complained. "Never mind, forget it let's not talk about it anymore. My head is going to explode if I think about it anymore." She rubbed her forehead then sudden smiled teasing and whispered, "Tell me, how are things with you and Van?" 

       Hitomi looked away embarrassed, "What are you talking about? There's nothing between us."

       "My ass!" Merle exclaimed, she ran to the other side of oh Hitomi so she'd be facing her friend, "Come on, I already told you everything about Folken and I… or what was Folken and I. Hitomi…"she gave her best sad puppy face. 

       "Oh fine," Hitomi motioned her to come close so she could whisper into her ear. Merle listened attentively and made a few faces from tine to time. Finally, after a while Merle yelled out, "He kissed you?"

       Hitomi quickly slapped Merle's arm and warned, "Shut up Merle!" I didn't say he kissed me I said he almost kissed me. At lest he looked like he was going to …until he turned away and started to swim."

       "Wow, how romantic!" she smiled dreamingly. "Just my luck, you get to have a seductive, private swim lesson in the dark with a drop dead gorgeous guy, while I'm stuck out in the brushes, screaming my lungs out at a psychological freak who's obsessed with his dead girlfriend." She banged her head on her locker.

       Hitomi placed her hand between her friend's head and the locker door, "Merle, stop it!" she ordered, "People are staring."

       "Let them stare!"

       She sighed and searched desperately for something to interest Merle. "Hey look." She suddenly cried out. "There's Folken." 

       Merle immediately stopped her pounding and looked around nervously. When she realized that her friend was just joking, she pointed her finger threateningly, "Don't you dare ever do that to me again. You scared the hell out of me!" 

       "You see, no matter if he's a psychological freak or the capital of the football team. You still like him," she tried not to smirk.

       "Still like who?" a voice asked from behind. The two girls were too busy caught up in there conversation to notice a figure walk up behind the. He was carrying a beautiful bouquet of red roses. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Allen smiled. 

       "What are you doing here?" Merle asked in a cold tone. "Just how stupid are you? What part of no don't you understand? It's been what? One month now? Can't you take a hit?"

       "Merle," Hitomi pulled her friend away, "Don't I can handle this."

       "Fine but I was just trying to save this pathetic loser here some money. I guess he's too dumb to even take some good, although not deserved advice." She saw the look her friend gave her and sighed, "Okay, okay I'm leaving. I have to be getting to class anyways."

***

       "Allen, what Merle said is right. You shouldn't be spending money on me anymore." Hitomi sighed and looked at the bouquet of flowers in his hand. "I said it before and I'll say it again, we're over. Flattery and first will get you no where."

       "I don't care what you think of my gifts. As long as you know that my thoughts are on you; they're going to a good cause."

       'You bet,' she thought, thinking of what she did with the last necklace she relieved. Allen reached out, handing the flowers to her but she just trund around and walked away.

       "Hitomi, why won't you give me another chance?" he chased after asking. I made a mistake and I hurt you, but I've changed. Please! Why don't you believe me?"

       Hitomi turned to hind her face from two passing girls who were giggling and whispering. After they passed, she said impatiently, "So far, you haven't given me any reason to believe you. All I've seen are gifts and that means nothing to me. Now if you will excuse me, I have to get to class," with that, she left him.

***

       Hiotmi sat quietly in French class, and tried to look interested in the lecture he teacher was giving on the start of the French revolution. She scanned over her notes one more time to see if there was anything she left out. It was impossible to take notes with Mr. Lafortain for he was always running of subject. Therefore, Hitomi always read a chapter ahead in their book and took notes off of the reading. Whatever the book forgets to mention, the teacher would cover…eventually. 

       As she studied her notebook, Hitomi noticed there was a piece of paper on the left corner of her desk that wasn't there the last time she checked. She carefully reached over to retrieve it, not wanted to attract any attention. 'Hey stranger, did you have a good tine last night?' She smiled to herself as she recognized Van's sloppy writing. She sneaked a quick glance at him and replied. 'I don't know what's your definition of a good time but I had fun.' She shoved it onto his desk and immediately turned her attention back to the board. She heard him scribble something with his pencil then saw the paper being pushed back onto her desk. 'I was wondering when you'd respond,' it read, 'since you had fun, I was wondering if you're willing to repeat last night.'

       'Repeat which part?' she wanted to write but instead answered, 'we have practice tonight.' 'Well, let's skip it then.' He wrote back. 'But Van! We're the main characters, if we skip it, Steve (A/N: remember the assistant director) will go crazy. Plus, I'm not willing to sacrifice the plays success for my own pleasure.' She wrote.

       Van noticed her writing a lot and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "I was just joking."

       "Oh," she blushed and put the paper away, not wanting him to read it and think that she's goody-too-shoes.

       "So how 'bout coffee after practice then?" he asked, "and I'll drive you how afterwards."

       "That sounds nice," she whispered back smiling.

       "Miss Kanzaki!" her teacher suddenly said, making Hitomi jump. "I'm sure Mr. Fanel's face is face more interesting then the history of France but I doubt it will get you passé this class."

       "I'm really sorry sir. We were just talking about the play." Van apologized.

       "Talk about it after class. This isn't the time or place."

       Hitomi sunk lower into her chair, she could feel her face burning and wondered how Van could keep his cool like that when the whole class was laughing at them.  

***I'm back! ^_^ *jumps around happily* This is the long juicy chapter that I promised. Okay…maybe it's not that long or juicy but hey… at lest I updated. Thanks to all of you who waited patiently and I hope it was worth the wait. Once again, please review and I'll update the next one some time next week. Oh yeah, if any of you guys want to be on my mailing list, please email me. Bishouji88*** 


	26. Finally!

Chapter Twenty-Six: Finally!

"Okay, that's it for today. Great job everyone. Remember dress rehearsal's in one week so memorize your lines!" Steve said through his microphone.

Hitomi sighed in relief and jumped of stage. She took a seat by the first row of chairs. Whipping her forehead with the back of her hand, she leaned back and took a deep breath. Who would have thought two hours of play practice would wear her out so quickly. Not only did her eyes hurt fro standing under intense lighting for too long, she was also mentally tired. So many lines, such difficult pronunciations. When did French become so complicated? She couldn't understand half of what she said.  

"If it isn't Miss Perfect," a mocking voice disturbed Hitomi's resting. "Awww. Is acting a little too much for you to handle?"

Hitomi opened her eyes and glared at the red head. "Well it obviously was for you."

"I was doing just find before you came along and stole my part!" Meredith snapped. 

"I didn't steal it, you lost it." She stood up to look her in the eye, "instead of doing your job, you were busy making out in the closet." 

"Oh…"Meredith smirked, "so that's what it's all about. You're pissed that Allen chose a real woman over a tomboy." She waved her hand up and down at Hitomi. "Well you can't really blame him. The best guy deserves nothing but the best girl."

Hitomi looked over her shoulder to see Van talking to some stage crew and said, "you're absolutely right." She enjoyed the look of shock that appeared on her opponents face before saying, "I guess you shouldn't be keeping Allen waiting the. Sorry I'd lover to stay but I have a date that I must be getting to." She pushed past Meredith, walking straight towards the stage. 

"Wait! I'm not done with you!" the enrage girl yelled after her, "Come back here!"     

***

            "Hitomi wait!" Allen ran up, holding a piece of paper in his hand. "I have something for you!"

            "Not now Allen, I don't have time." She answered not even looking back.

            "Wait," he grabbed her wrist forcing her to face him. "I didn't buy it this time. I made it myself."

            "I said not now," she jerked her hand from his hold. 

            "But-"

            "Allen!" a high pitched perky voice squalled in delight. Meredith ran up the stage and grabbed his arm, hugging it tightly. "Oh Allen…where have you been these passed few weeks, I've been so lonely without you."

            Hitomi rolled her eyes and trying not to burst out laughing. That was just about the corniest live she's ever heard coming out of a human being's mouth. "Great, now that you've found him, why don't you two run to the nearest closest or dark corner and go make up for lost time."   

            Allen's face went from surprised to angry as her pushed Meredith away from him, "stay away from me, I don't want anything to do with you."

            "You asshole!" Meredith raised her arm and slapped him across the face. "No wonder why you never had a steady girlfriend. One just isn't enough for you is it?" she stared at him in disgust. "Fine, be that way. Let's just see how many girls would want you now." she tossed her hair with a satisfied grunt and walked away. On her ways out, she grabbed the arm of Steve who was just standing in a corner dumb folded. " Come one Stevey-boy, I'll treat you to an ice cream." 

            Hitomi stared at them leave in amusement. Never in her widest dreams would she ever have imagined that one day, Meredith would ask Steve Earl out. Shaking her head slightly, she started to once more walk away from Allen, but her wasn't going to let her off the hook that easy. "Hitomi please," he dropped to his knees and begged, "My feelings for you are truly real. I…I love you! If you would only listen to my poem. I…" he began to unfold the paper but she stopped him.

            "You know Allen it's a pity. If only you felt that way about me before I found out the kind of loser you are. Maybe I would have accepted all this," she gave him a sad smile. "I guess what they say is true. You never know what you have until it's gone."

            "But what about, if you really love something, let it go. If it comes back to you…" Allen objected, nervously running out of ideas. 

            "Don't sweat it," she cut him off again, "this on isn't coming back."

***

            "Do you think I was a little hard on him back there?" Hitomi sat across from Van and played with her coffee cup.

            "No," he said straight out, "I think you did just fine." 

            "Thanks for not coming to my rescue again. I had fun blowing him off." She laughed at herself. 

"Some on had to show him but just don't get used to the idea. I like my Hitomi sweet." He gave her an easy going smile buy quickly blushed as he realized what he said. 

She blushed as well but secretly jumped with joy, 'Hehe, his Hitomi. I like that sound of that…maybe he hasn't given up hope yet.' "So um…what do you have planned for this summer?" she asked, "after school's over." (A/N: Van transferred near the end of the school year.)

"Summer?" Van's voice became uneasy.

"Yes summer. You know the season that comes after spring and before autumn. Usually is around July and August."

"Oh…I'm-I…um, I don't think I have anything-I don't know," he turned to look out the window. "So what do you think about the play so far? Do you need help with your lines or anything?" 

"Um, it's fine." Hitomi was puzzled at why Van refused to talk about his summer plans. "Just a few more lines and I'll have the whole thing memorized."

"That's good to hear."

For the rest of the night, van seemed a little distant. It was mostly Hitomi who talked and he just nodded and comment things once in a while. During the drive home, he was completely silent, making her afraid to talk. When they arrived at her driveway, Hitomi sat in silence and didn't make any effort to leave. "Look, I'm sorry if I said any that bothered you tonight." She finally spoke.

"You didn't do anything," he reassured her, look straight ahead.

"Then why did you hardly talk?" she waited for an answer but it never came, "Is there something bothering you? Do you want to talk about it?"

At first it seemed that Van was going to give in but instead he just smiled at her and insisted that he was fine. Disappointed, Hitomi pushed opened the door. Before she managed to get a foot out, Van leaned over and pulled the door shut. "Wait," he said with his hand still on the handle. Hitomi wanted open the door again but her mind was too preoccupied to respond. Half of it was still recovering from the shock while the other half was concentrating on the feeling of Van's body so close to hers. His abs pressed onto her legs; she could feel his hard muscles through his shirt. His face looked so good from the angle he was observing her. In his eye, his gorgeous sea blue eyes, she could see the same need that burned in hers. Slowly, she leaned over until their noses were barely touching. Their faces were so close she could feel his warm breath tingling on her skin. She watched his eyes dace with excitement as she waited for him to make the last move.

When their lips finally met, she felt 10 thousand fire works burst inside of her. His lips felt so soft against hers. She could feel his reluctance and his desire. He took time to savor each moment and to let her respond or pull away. It wasn't the kind of kiss she got with Allen. With him, it was hard and demanding, but Van didn't push her. His kiss was soft and shy. Although it only lasted seconds and their lips did nothing but simply touch, to Hitomi, it was the best kiss any person could have ever given her.

"God, I'm sorry, "Van murmured, as he pulled back, "I should have done…"

"Don't," she put a finger on his lips to silence him, "Don't be sorry," she whispered before their lips met once more.          

***

            Folken took a sip of his coffee and rested his elbows onto his legs. He had been sitting there in the park for over an hour doing nothing but sub-consciously playing with a piece of dried grass in his hands. He knew that he couldn't possibly run into Merle here because of the things he had said to her last night. For that, he was glad. He didn't want her disturbing his peace again. But thn why was he turning around to look at the bushes whenever he heard a noise? Why was he hoping that she would somehow walk thought them again? If she did come, all she'll do is argue with him she always found a way to argue about something. It's just like his grandfather used to say, 'It's better go be alone than in ill company.' Someone who yelled constantly would be nothing but ill company. 

            But then again, he had to admit; fighting with her was sort of amusing. She's the only person that dared to talk to him that way. She wasn't nice to him because she felt sorry for him; hell, she wasn't nice at all. Her eyes weren't filled with pity every time they fell onto him. She spoke to him like he was an ordinary human being, not he poor boy who lost his girlfriend in a hit-and-run. Maybe what Merle said was right. Maybe it was time for him to start a new life. It didn't necessarily mean he'd move on from Sora but he might be able to enjoy the things he used to like. No, he didn't want to forget about Sora but he didn't want people treating him like a outcast anymore. 

            'If you keep on holding everything in and pushing away everyone that tries to help, sooner of later you'll go crazy or something.' Merle's voice echoed through his mind. 

            Folken closed his eyes as his insides battled each other. If he moved on with his life, it would mean leaving Sora behind rather he liked it or not. How could he do that after all she's done for him? He couldn't just abandon her. Every time, just as he was about to give in, his guilt would away pull him back. He shook his head clear of those thoughts and reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out his cell phone. Tonight, he was going to let everything out. He was just hoping that she was still willing to help. 

            As he turned on his cell, he realized that he didn't know Merle's number. He slapped himself on the head and thought, 'I can't use the phone book neither because I don't know her last name.' He sighed in frustration. There had to be some other kid of way. His head cleared suddenly, just as fast as dark clouds disappear after the bad guy is defeated in Disney movies. He had an idea that just might work. He punched in 7 digits while hoping this wasn't going to create such a fuss and waited for the other side to pick up.

            "Hey Countryman, it's Lacour," Folken said after the other side picjked up. "Yeah I know its been a while…I'm fine…No, I don't think I'll be coming back onto the team…yeah…I know…hey-…No, I don't want to talk to Linda…it's great you guys hooked up again…hey I was wondering-…Hi Linda…It's nice to finally talk to you too…okay…No, I haven't heard about Eric…I don't-can you just give the phone back to Countryman…yeah, okay love you too…hey, look-…yes she's quite something…no, I don't regret dumping her…Brendon! Look I'm sorry but I don't have much time to chat. I just called to ask, can you still hack into the school's computer…that's great, I need you to look up someone for me…I know you're busy but it's important ("Or I wouldn't have called you," he silently added.)…great!…I don't know her last name…yes it's a her…no…no…no…look her name's Merle!…yeah…yes the paper lady…no…no…just look up her address and number and call me back…yeah okay…later." Folken shut his phone and sighed. 'Maybe I should rethink the whole moving on thing.' He thought to himself. 

***

            Merle typed in the last words for next week's events column. She stretched and yawned in contentment. "All I'll have to do is get Yukari to proof read it and I'm done." She smiled to herself. Her smile quickly faded as she looked at her calendar, "two more weeks until the end of year formal. Guess I'll be going along this year." She sighed as she thought of all her friends and their dates. She pictured herself standing all along in the middle of the dance floor and groaned.

            "Urgh, screw that," she decided, getting up from her chair, "it's nothing unexpected. No use getting depressed." She reassured herself. "I know! A bowl of ice cream should cheer me up!" she skipped down the hall and descended the stairs merrily. If her parents saw her, they would have thought she had gone crazy. 

            Merle pulled opened the freezer door and shivered as a gust of cold air pushed passed her. She pushed a few boxes of frozen pizza aside and searched for the brand now box of cookies and cream ice cream. Before finding it, her search was interrupted by the doorbell.

"Who could it be at this hour?" she wondered, shutting the freezer door and making her way to the front door. "I got it!" she turned her head back to yelled as she opened the door. Turning her head back to the door, her eyes widen as she saw her visitor. Not knowing what to do, she panicked and shut the door close. 

"Holly shit! What is he doing here?" she asked herself, leaning against the door. "Maybe I'm dreaming," she thought out loud. So she slowly opened the door and peeked outside only to see the amused look on Folken's face. She slammed the door closed again and said to herself, "Nope, he's here alright." She took a deep breath and opened the door. She waited for him to say something but he just stood there, staring at her. 

"Well…what are you waiting for?" she asked.

"For you to shut the door again," he gave her a half smile. 

'Wow,' she thought, 'that's the first time I've seen him smile. He looks better than I thought.' "Well I'm not. So go ahead and say what you came to say."

"I want to talk to you."

"I thought you said that you never wanted to see me again."

"And I thought you said that I'm a hideous bastard and that you hate me?"

"You are and I do."

"Then why are you still standing here smiling at me?" Folken smirked at the realization that he's won. 

"Fine talk then," Merle wiped the smile of her face and blushed, "but I don't have much time so make it fast." 

"I'll just say one thing and I'll leave you alone," he began. "Do you remember when you said to me that if I kept on holding everything in, sooner of later I'll go crazy?"

"Yeah so?" she raised an eyebrow. 

"Well, I don't want to go crazy."   

***Hey, that was the next chapter like I promised. I think I'll be able to get back to my normal updating dates (once every 2 weeks), but no promises there. I hope this chapter was good. Everyone's been waiting for Allen to suffer, Hitomi and Van to get together, and something good to happen to Merle and Folken. Well, that's why this chapter is called 'Finally!'. Well for those who are reading, please please review. I'm really not sure if this was good enough. But the story's finished yet! Expect two or three more chapters.~Bishouji88***


	27. Doubts

Chapter Twenty-seven: Doubts 

       "Hey look!" Millerna exclaimed, pointing to a poster that was hanging on the wall. "The end of school dance is in two weeks! God, it sounds amazing."

       "From what I heard, this year they planned something special." Hitomi commented, taking a step forward to get a better look at the advertisement.

       "Yeah, the dance committee, decided to do sit different this year. I heard it's going to be a mixture of a formal dance with a sort of Halloween thing." Merle explained. "When we buy our tickets, there supposed to be tow boxes, one for girls and one for guys. Were supposed to pick out a paper from the box. On it is written the name of a fairly tale or something like that and we're supposed to dress like them."

       "You mean like a masked ball?" Millerna jumped with excitement. 

       "Yeah and it's going to be big." Yukari smiled thinking, 'Well that's one person we can count on being there. I wonder if they will still go if they knew that the profits are going to sponsoring the prom.'

       "Well than what are we waiting for? Let's go find the guys and get the tickets," the tall blond started to walk away. 

       "Wait-wait," Merle pulled her back, "there's one more thing. You're not supposed to go with anyone."

       "What?" she exclaimed. "A ball without a prince? You've got to be kidding me."

       "Actually, that's supposed to be the fun part," Yukari giggled, "you're partner will have to find you and the costume thing is there to make it harder."

       "I don't know, sounds kinda lame to me," Hitomi ran her hand through her short hair. 

       "What do you mean lame? I think it sounds romantic." Millerna said with a dreamy look on her face. 

       "Van won't want to go."

       "So? Make him."

       "I don't want him to do anything he doesn't want to."

       "Girl, the guy would move Mont Everest if you told him to," Yukari laughed, "Come on, let's get the tickets before they're sold out."

       "Merle, are you going?" Hitomi asked her friend.

       "If you mean with Folken, no, but I have to be there for the school paper. I'm supposed to write an article about how it turned out."

       "What's wrong with Folken? I thought you guys are really close. I mean, for the past two weeks, we've hardly seen you. You're always with him." Hitomi questioned.

       "He just doesn't like the whole public thing and seeing all his old friends yet."

       "But you guys are together right?" Millerna asked with interest. 

       "Not together-together but yeah…I guess."

       "Great so let's go get our tickets!" she exclaimed. 

***

       "Okay everyone's got one? Let's open them." Millerna decleared. 

       "Wait!" Hitomi stopped her before she opened it. "Aren't we not supposed to know what each other are going as?"

       "Nah, that's just for the guy. And plus, if I don't find Dryden, I don't' want to spend the whole night searching for you guys."

       "Okay, so let's open them." Yukari declared. One by one, the four girls opened their pieces of paper. "What did you get?" she was the first to speak, "I go little red riding hood."

       "Cinderella," Millerna showed her paper and blushed. 

       "Oh, what a coincidence," Merle rolled her eyes, "Dryden is going to have a hard time finding you."

       "Ah! NO! This can't be!" Hitomi screamed seeing her paper, "There must be some kind of mistake!"

       "Why? What did you get?" Yukari took the paper, "What? Peter Pan! But isn't he a guy?"

       "Ah! This isn't fair!" she wined, "why me?" 

       "Well at lest you won't have a problem with your hair." Millerna tired to make her feel better but Hitomi just wined more. 

       "Maybe we can ask the ticket people if we can switch. Do you think we can do that?" Yukari asked Merle. But Merle was too occupied at the moment. She had noticed a group of senior girls waiting in line to buy tickets to the formal. Their conversation had caught her attention. 

       "Hey did guys hear about Folken?" the one with long brown hair asked. "I promised Brendon that I wouldn't say a word but I can't take it anymore."

       "Folken Lacour?" the shorter girl asked. 

       "Yeah, well I was over at Brendon's last week and he called. Guess what he wanted? A girls address!"

       "Oh-my-god! Folken wanted the address of another girl? I thought he was still depressed over that smart girl's death," another girl with pigtails exclaimed. "I thought he'd never get over her."

       "Me neither buy apparently this new girl managed to do some magic on him and voila," the brunette snapped her fingers.

       "But didn't he turn you down when you went to him after Sora's death?" the shorter girl asked again, "she must be really something then."

       This time, the brunette didn't answer, instead she said, "Well sooner or later, he'll be back with us. I mean, he can't possibly stay with that girl too long. Going steady and Folken Lacour do not mix. He gave up everything for that Sora girl and look what he got in return," she smiled mischievously. "Yup, he'll be back. And this time, I'll be ready."

       "Just what makes you think he'll take you this time?" Merle interrupted their conversation when she couldn't control her anger any longer. 

       "Who are you?" the brunette gave her a look of disgust. 

       "Merle."

       "You're paper girl? Brendon said she was a junior but I couldn't believe it. I guess it's true then," she turned to her friends, "girls, this is Folken's new play mate." The other girls gave her the same look, making Merle ever more furious. 

       "I'm not his play mate you bi-"

       "Merle, don't." Hitomi put a hand on her shoulder.

       The brunette didn't bother to look at Hitomi. "Well, I guess I should thank you for bring him back into the world of the living." She looked Merle up and down, "Thought I don't know how."

       "You think you're all that don't you?" Merle looked her straight in the eye, "If you're really that much better, Folken would have accepted you back then but he didn't."

       The senior looked at Hitomi and said to Merle, "I understand your friend had an recent encounter with play-boy Allen," she laughed, "well let me tell you this, before Sora, Folken and Allen came from the same family. He was just as bad as him," she paused a moment to savor the look of surprise on the younger girl's face. "Even in he doesn't go back to his old ways," she continued, "do you really think he'll love you?" She moved closed to Merle so she was surely to hear, "He'll never forget Sora, and you'll never be anything more than his rebound girl," she smiled mockingly. 

       "Excuse me but if you're not going to buy tickets, please move away from the line," the ticket seller said. 

       "Remember paper girl," she said as she motioned for her friends to leave. "He'll never forget her."

       Merle stood there motionless as the three older girls walked away laughing. She knew the brunette only said those things to piss her off, but deep inside she knew they were true. Slowly, she turned around and walked to other way, ignoring her friends calls.   

***

       Folken stuffed his books into his locker and took out a brown paper bag. Shutting the door close, he headed directly for the 11th grade hallway. Since it was his lunch period, he could make a quick detour before going to the cafeteria. Everyday at this time, he would meet Merle by her locker. Because she had a different lunch schedule, he would walk her to class before going to eat. As much as he hated to admit it, he was becoming very fond of her. When she was not angry, she was very fun to have around. 

That night, when he went to speak with her, she immediately pulled out her jacket and went out on a walk with him. Well, that is, after she made sure he wasn't there to argue again during the whole time that he talked, she didn't do anything other than occasionally ask a few questions. They walked around talking for hours until her mom ran out in a bathrobe screaming her name. Folken smiled as he recalled the look of embarrassment on Merle's face when she saw her mom with curlers. Of course the little lady wasn't too happy to find her daughter walking around at night with a boy she's never meet who is twice her size. He thought that Merle was surely going to be grounded or something until she called him that next day and rather hesitantly asked if he wanted to go horseback riding. 

From that day on, whether he called her or she called her, they virtually began spending everyday or afternoon together. She was like Sora and yet so much different. She takes some advance classes; she loves children, enjoys the simple things of life and understands him. Sometimes she could guess what he's thinking or finish his sentences. Other times, she could feel his need to just stay there beside him without talking. 

She is her own her own person and didn't let what other people thought limit her freedom. She's out going, funny, loud, stubborn, and speaks her mind. She is one in a million and not to mention that she's beautiful. Thinking this, Folken realized that somehow, he had fallen for Merle. When he was with her, he managed to forget about everything…even Sora. Yes, he had fallen for the mysterious, bad tempered girl who stole his sear in the library, the same one that reopened his eyes to the world and made him live again.

***

       When Folken got to her hallway, he noticed that she wasn't at her locker. He looked at the clock and thought, 'I'm not late so maybe she had to leave early.' Looking around, he caught a glimpse of pink hair going into the stairs. Since Merle was the only person in school with pink hair, he knew it had to be her. 

       "Hey Merle!" he yelled, running after he. Many heads turned but she kept on walking as if she didn't hear him. "Hey, what's the hurry? Your class doesn't start until another 5 minutes," he said when he caught up with her. "What's wrong? Did you flunk another Spanish quiz?" he asked when she didn't answer. "Aw, come on, it can't be that bad."

       "For you information, I got an A- on it," Merle turned abruptly, almost making him fall. 

       "Than why you pissed off?" he asked after catching his balance. 

       "I'm not."

       Raising his hands to show that he gave up, Folken said, "Fine." He learned that when Merle was pissed, it was best just to leave her along. Pressuring her to talk would only start an argument. 

He turned to leave when he heard her say, "You know, I think from now, you should just go to lunch instead of walking me to class."

"Okay."

"In fact, we should stop seeing each other."

"Okay. Chill Merle, you're making it sound like as if we're dating." He laughed at his own joke but Merle didn't seem amused at all, she just gave him a look of disgust and continued to climb the stairs. 

"Hey wait!" Folken grabbed her arm. "You're really serious about this?" his expression turned serious. 

"Oh course, why wouldn't I be?"

"You really don't want us to be seeing each other anymore?"

"Why Folken, you're making it sound like as if we're dating," her voice was filled with mockery.   

"This isn't funny Merle," he leaned closer so that people passing couldn't hear.

"You thought it was a minute ago."

'Fine,' he thought, 'two can play at this game.' "If that's what's you want, fine." He pretended not to care. For a second, a look of panic appeared over Merle's face, but she quickly hid it. Though it was only for a second, it was enough to show Folken what she really wanted. He pretended to turn and leave until he suddenly leaned over and captured Merle's lips with his. 

       He put everything he felt for the last two weeks into the kiss. All the joy, all the excitement and all the need. It didn't take long for Merle to begin responding. It would have been the perfect kiss if she didn't start struggling moments later. At first, Folken thought that she was just stubborn and didn't like that fact that he had so much control over her, but he finally understood that something was wrong with he felt something sharp against his lips and a sudden jolt of pain. Merle took the moment to pull away.

       Folken opened his eyes and was about to demand an explanation for why she bit him until he saw tears falling from her eyes. 

       "You should just left me alone," she sobbed, "why do have to play me like this?" 

       "Wha-what do you mean?" he asked, reaching out for her. He didn't knowing what was going on. One minute she was kissing him back, the next she was crying her eyes out. 

       "Don't." she pushed his hand away. 

       "What did I do? I never played you." He exclaimed. 

       "Begin with a person when you have another in your heart is playing," she wiped her face. Seeing the look of confusion on his face, she asked, "Do you still love her?"

       "What?" 

       "Sora, do you still love her?" she repeated.

       "Of course, I…" he stopped realizing what this whole thing was about. "Merle…"

       "I know I can never mean as much to you as she did," she looked him in the eye. "I don't want to be some kind of replacement. She was you're first love and you'll never forget her. Is there really any place left in your heart for me?"

       Folken wanted to tell her there was but the words just couldn't come out of his mouth. He watched her watching him and when he couldn't take it anymore, he turned away. 

       "I don't want to be in a relationship where my feelings cannot be return. It's not fair." 

       "You're right," he managed finally to say.

       Merle sighed. She opened her mouth to say something but instead gave him one last look and left.  

***Well that's another chapter. Just when things start to finally work out, a new problem pops out. ^_^ but that's how life is…how will Merle deal with this? What is Hitomi going to do with her 'Peter Pan' costume? Find out in the next exciting episode of Normal Life! *Audiences coughs out loud*…okay maybe not exciting, but it's there's gotta be at least bit of interest if you guys are still here reading after all this times, *Bishouji puts on a hopeful look*. Anyways please review!!! I need feedback! Btw, with all the work school is dumping on me, I'm going back to my normal updating time (a new chapter every two week). Enjoy! Bishouji88*** 


	28. A fairly tale endingor is it?

Chapter Twenty-eight: A fairy tale ending…or is it?

       Hitomi walked into the gym with Merle and Millerna. She adjusted her hat and prayed that no one actually recognized her. It had turned out that she wasn't allowed to change her character. The advertising committee was afraid that if others heard of this, they'd want to change too. They apologized for the mistake because her character was truly supposed to be in the male box. The only thing she could do with dress up as a female version of Peter Pan. That was her original plan but after putting her costume on, she looked like Peter Pan dress up like Tinkerbell. 

       Both her friends looked great. Millerna wore exactly what Cinderella wore to the ball. As usual heads turned as she walked into the room. She had her hair put up, wore a crystal blue grown and transparent shoes. She looked gorgeous. Merle came as a fairly. She wore a short, strapless orange dress. She left her hair down and put highlights in them that matched her dress. She bought to fake plastic wings and poured glitter all over her body.

       "Wow this place looks great!" Millerna exclaimed. "The committee really did a great job with it this year." The gym walls were covered with dark blue wallpaper and millions of yellow stars, making it look like the sky. A slow turning disco ball hung from the roof. Little round tables lit by candles stood near the refreshment table. Balloons of every color hung from every corner of the room. Some fell to the ground, moving to the rhythm of the dancers.

       "I wonder where Yukari is," Hitomi screamed over the loud music. 

       "She's probably already out there looking for Amano." Millerna giggled. "Shouldn't we be looking for our princes too?"

       "You go. I'll stay with Merle." Hitomi said noticing the look of discouragement on her friends face. For the last two weeks, Merle seemed to be out of energy. Hitomi knew it had something to do with Folken since she stopped mentioning him. All of her friends tried cheering her up but nothing really worked.

       "I'm fine, you guys go. I'm really perfectly fine," Merle smiled.

       "Arr…what pretty ladies we have here." Somebody grabbed Millerna by the waist. "Y'all will make me a great deal of gold after I sell ya," said Dryden who was dressed up as a pirate

       "Dryden!" Millerna turned around to kiss him on the cheek, "how did you find us so fast?"

       "It wasn't hard. I just went around grabbing all the pretty blonds until I found one that didn't scream and run away or slap me," he joked, laughing.

       Millerna giggled and kissed him again, "You look great, the costume really worked out great for you."

       Dryden used his free arm to lift up is eye patch. "Yeah, I'm still working on the accent thing." He looked Millerna up and down and whispered into her ear, "but you look even better than I imagined." 

       "Hey guys, have any of you seen Amano yet?" Yukari joined the group.

       "Nope, we just got-"

       "WA-HAHAHAHAHAHA," an insane laugh interrupted the conversation, making all four girl jump. "Hey guys, looking for me?" a person dressed up like the jester, took his mask off. 

       "Amano! You scared the hell out of me!" Yukari slapped the guy on the head. 

       "Well now that we're all here, I say we go dance," Millerna suggested, ignoring Amano who kept on laughing. She pulled Dryden onto the dance floor without waiting for an answer. 

***

       "Are you okay?" Hitomi asked Merle. 

       "Yeah, I'm fine," she smiled, "Why don't you go look for Van. I know you're dying to find him."

       "But…what about you?" 

       "I have to go around asking questions and stuff for the paper. I'll be okay." She pushed her friend away. "Go."

       Merle sighed in relief as she watched her friend disappear into the crowd. It was not that she didn't appreciate what they were doing but she just wanted so time alone. They always insist that she tags along whenever they had a group outing. Truth was, she never really wanted to go. She'd just be the odd ball in the group, but if she didn't go, they'd all freak out and think that she was going into depression.

       Merle looked around the room and decided to go talk to the refreshment people first. It was getting hot and she could get a drink while she interviewed. The refreshment table was half way across the room. She had to cut through the dance floor to get there. It wasn't going to be an easy job considering all the couples she'd have to break up. Squeezing through the crowd of people, Merle moved slowly across the floor. She had to jump up frequently to make sure she was heading the right direction. It was one of the disadvantages of being short. The loud booming music was making her head turn, and the people jumping around wasn't helping much. Merle smiled as she looked up at the stage. They were lucky this year to have been able to get a live band. They weren't super stars but their music was good. 

       "Hey Merle! You look great," somebody said from behind. 

       Merle turned around then immediately rolled her eyes, "What are you Prince Charming?"

       "Of course! Who else?" Allen answered, looking every proud of himself. He dusted his white shirt and ran his hand through his hair, "Don't you think that roll fits perfectly?" 

       She looked at him in disgust, "all I have to say is that it hid your real personality pretty well." 

       "Do you jump at everyone that tries to be nice?" he pretended to be offended.

       "Only the gay ass losers," she rolled her eyes, "What do want Allen?" 

       "Well I saw that you are alone and I thought to myself that a beautiful girl such as yourself doesn't deserve to be alone on a night like this." 

       "Aww, prince charming doesn't have a date?" she mocked not bothering to hide her amusement.

       "No, that's not it."

       "Good bye Allen, have a nice night," Merle waved.

       "No! Wait!" he begged, "Oh come on, just one dance. It's a good song." he began to dance to the music, trying to show of his moves, and not even noticing that Merle was walking away.

       "Your act only works on an audience," she said not caring if he heard her or not, "and now that you don't have an audience, I say give it a break and get a life." 

As she turned her attention back to her destination, Merle realized that everyone had stopped dancing and the music had died down. She followed everyone's gaze up onto the stage where the vice principal was making an announcement, "Is everyone having fun?" he screamed into the microphone. There was a total silence in the gym, and then someone coughed up 'Loser'. 

"I'll take that as a yes," he put on a forced smile and gave the crowd thumbs up. "Okay," he cleared his throat and adjusted his tie, "I'll get down to the point. Tonight, we are very fortunate to have a special presentation. I'm sure most of you have heard him before. It's been a while but he's back on stage, and he's going to sing for us his most recent song." The vice principal moved to the stairs and said before leaving, "now please put you're hands together for 'Phantom of the Opera'." Half the crowd unenthusiastically clapped while the other half just stood in silence or left of the dance floor. Merle took out her notebook and smiled to herself, 'oh boy, this should be interesting.' She got out a pen from her purse and got ready to write.

On the stage, a single light went on. Beneath it was a guy dressed up as the phantom of the opera, sitting on a stool. His mask hind the top half of his face, and he held a guitar. He adjusted the strings on his guitar and the microphone. "This is the song that I recently wrote for a very special person here in the crowd tonight. I'm sorry if I hurt you and I hope this song will clear any misunderstandings," he said before beginning to sing.
    
    _"Find me here, and speak to me. I want to feel you, I need to hear you. _
    
    _You are the light, that's leading me, to the place, where I find peace…again."_ 

Merle dropped her notebook and pen onto the ground. Her mouth dropped up as she listened to every word. There was no way she could not recognize that voice; she heard in too many times in the past weeks.               
    
    _"You are the strength, that keeps me walking. You are the hope, that keeps me trusting. _
    
    _You are the life, to my soul. You are my purpose, you're everything."_
    
    'Is it him?' she wondered. 
    
    _"And how can I stand here with you, and not be moved by you. Would you tell me how, could it be any better than this...yeah."_
    
    "Oh My God! Who's that hunk?" a girl near by squalled.
    
            "I wish my boyfriend would write that kind of song and sing it to me." Her friend sighed dreamy, "whoever he's singing to is so lucky. She's got to be stupid not to forgive him."  
    
    _"You calm the storms, and you give me rest. You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall. _
    
    _You still my heart, and you take my breath away. Would you take me in. Take me deeper, now…"_
    
    Merle blinked three times to make sure she was seeing right. It looked like he was looking straight at her. 'Could it be?'__
    
    _"And how can I stand here with you, and not be moved by you. Would you tell me how, could it be any better than this._
    
    _ And how can I stand here with you, and not be moved by you. Would you tell me how could it be, any better than this."_
    
    The crowd, mainly girls, started to scream and yell, but Merle stood there immobile, staring at the singer. 
    
    _"Cause you're all I want. You're all I need. You're everything, everything. You're all I want. You're all I need. You're everything, everything. You're all I want. You're all I need. You're everything, everything… You're all I want… You're all I need…everything. Everything!"_
    
    Merle bit her lip as a single tear rolled down her cheeks. There was no doubt in her mind that 'Phantom of the Opera' was indeed Folken. The voice sounded exactly like him and everything about him was familiar. The way he tilted his head when he sang, the way he held his guitar, the way he sang every word like as if it came from the bottom of his heart.    
    
    _"And how can I stand here with you, and not be moved by you. Would you tell me how could it be any better than this…"_
    
    Merle lowered her head as the music slowly faded. As the people all around her screamed and cheered, all she could do was stare at her feet. It wasn't because she didn't want others to see her crying but she didn't want to face Folken. She knew that if she looked at him after this, she wouldn't be able to pull away. Wiping her face clean, she pushed her hair behind her ears, picked up her things from the floor and ran out the gym.   
    
    ***
    
            "Hey." Hitomi jumped as she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Turning around, a wide smile appeared on her face as she saw Van dressed up as Aladdin. She couldn't help noticing how good he looked almost bare-chested. "Hey yourself. You look great!"
    
            "So do you," his eyes traveled her body, "um…just one question, what are you supposed to be?"
    
            "Long story," she waved her hand indicating that she didn't want to talk about it. 
    
            "Where are your friends? I saw you come in with them." Van asked looking around. 
    
            "Millerna, Yukari and their dates are dancing." Hitomi pointed to the dance floor, "and Merle just left to go look for someone to interview. She has to do an article for the school paper."
    
            "Oh, so you wanna dance?" 
    
            "Um…I'm not good at it," Hitomi looked away embarrassed. 
    
            "Come on, it's no big deal." Van took her hand and led her onto the dance floor. Together, they danced through a few fast songs, enjoying the beat of the music. Just when the noise was getting a little too much for Hitomi to handle, the volume decreased and a slow song came on. At first she was a little hesitant, seeing that everyone around them had gotten into a tight embrace. Thought they have been together a lot since she finally told Allen to get a life, she was still unsure of the whole public affection thing. The truth was she didn't know if they were actually 'together'. Of course they went to places together, held hands and kissed quite a few times, but they never talked about 'where they were'. 
    
            "Are you just going to stand there and stare at other people while they dance?" Van's voice interrupted her thoughts.
    
            "I-no," she blushed. She watched him approached her step by step; then softly take her into his arms as if she was a priceless piece of fragile figurine. Slowly, they moved to the music, enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms. Hitomi smiled softly and leaned against his shoulder. "God this is so perfect," she whispered, "I never want it to end." She hadn't realized what she said until she felt Van's body tense. She looked up at him and saw the same look of seriousness as the night when they were talking about summer plans. "I'm sorry," she bit her lip, "I didn't mean it that way, I was just off in some-"
    
            "It's okay…I feel the same way," he smiled and leaned down to kiss her. Before his lips touched hers, the music ended and another fast song came on. "It's a little crowded here! Do you want to go check out the decorations for the play?" Van screamed over the loud booming music. Hitomi nodded and followed him out the gym.
    
    ***
    
            "Wow, everything sure looks great," Hitomi stared at the stage amazed. "We really did a great job."
    
            "Yeah, we did," Van agreed, walking behind her. "I can't wait to see how the whole thing turns out." 
    
            "Oh, I forgot!" Hitomi slapped herself on the head, "After we're done all our performances…which should be Sunday night, we're all going out to celebrate." She smiled happily but Van didn't seem so excited. "I'm sorry, I should have told you earlier but it slipped my mind," she apologized.  
    
            "Did the teacher plan this or is it just a group thing?"
    
            "Group thing."
    
            "Then it won't be a problem if I don't come right?" he asked. 
    
            "What do you mean not come?" Hitomi demanded getting frustrated, "You're the main character! How can you not come?"
    
            "I don't know, I probably won't have time," he answered not looking at her.
    
            "What's wrong? Why do you always say that when I ask you a question?" she walked around to face him, "if you have to do something you can tell me. I'm not forcing you to come but at lest tell me why you can't." 
    
            "It's nothing." 
    
            "Why are you being so stubborn? I'm always apologizing for the things I say but I don't even no why I have to. There's nothing wrong about asking a friend what he's going to do over the summer!" she raised her hands in frustration. 
    
            "So I'm just a friend?" he asked looking hurt.
    
            "Friend tells each other things but I hardly know anything about you!" 
    
            "You really want to know? You really want to know why I can't come to the celebration and why I don't know what I'm going to do over the summer?" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I'm moving."    
    
    ~ Lifehouse, Everything 
    
    ***Dun Dun Dun!!!*Suspense music plays* how was that for an ending? *Audience 'BOOOO's' and author ducks for cover* okay okay, it not the ending! But the next chapter will be…that is if I can fix the whole thing into one chapter. You find out why Van's moving and what the couple is going to do about it. More or else what I'M going to do about it. ^_^ and we find out have happens to Merle's and Folken's rocky relationship. The big question is: Happy ending or not? So you better not miss it! And I better start writing…~_~; please please please review!!! I'm not posting until I get 100 reviews. Haha, j/k So until next time, enjoy! ~Bishouji88*** 
    
      __


	29. Promises

The long wait is finally over! Thanks to all the reviews (especially 'Hello ()' who review god knows how many times to try to get me my 100 reviews, lol). Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-nine: Promises

       "Wha-what did you say?" Hitomi stuttered, blinking her eyes.

       "I'm moving, my plane leaves at 8 p.m. Sunday night." Van said with his hands in his pocket.

       "What about all your stuff and school?" she asked not believing it was happening. "I mean, you can't just leave like this." 

       "It's all packed," he ran a hand through his hair, "and I won't be coming to school. I already took all my finals. I'm going to stay till the past performance and then…" he sighed. 

       "Do the teachers know?" she struggled to hold back tears. "Why didn't you tell me? You knew about this for a while didn't you?" She watched him nod and asked, "is that why you never talked about summer plans or invite me to your place? Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye?" 

       "I didn't think it'd matter," he said quietly, as if ashamed of his answer. 

       "Not matter? How can it not matter? Don't I mean anything to you?" she felt her pain turn into anger.

       "Of course you do!"

"Then why didn't you tell me?" she cried, unable to hold back any longer, "why did you have to wait until now?"

"I was going to! I thought that it take you a while to get over Allen. I thought by then I'll be gone and we would have just stayed friends. I was going to tell you until…every time the subject came up I wanted to tell you, but I was having such a good time, I didn't want to spoil the time we had left together."

"You should have told me," Hitomi said staring straight ahead with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"God I know," he apologized, hating himself for making her cry, "I'm so, so sorry." The stood in silence for what seemed like forever until Van couldn't take it anymore, "Please Hitomi, don't ignore me. Say something. You can scream at me, hit me, anything!"

She stared at him with her eyes all red and her lips puffed up from crying. "I don't want you to leave," she said barely audibly. 

"What?" he asked, not sure if he heard right.

"I don't want you to leave!" she repeated again, crying out. "I want you to stay, stay with me."

"I don't want to go neither," he said rushing towards her, capturing her in a tight embrace. He ran his hands gently down her back to calm her, wishing there was a way to make this better for her, for the both of them. He let her cry in his arms and wondered how many more times he would be able to hold her like this.

"Can I kidnap you?" she asked softly, "We can hide you in my basement and you could like with me."

"What would you mom think?" he chuckled at the idea, "wouldn't she wonder about you sudden large appetite?"

"I'll just tell her that I kidnapped my boyfriend because I didn't want him to leave," she spoke like an innocent 5 years old. "She'll understand." 

"I thought that I was just your friend a minute ago and now I'm your boyfriend?" he joked. "You're going to have to make up your mind."

"Friend is nice, but I prefer boyfriend," she sighed and burred her face into his chest, "but if you move, sooner or later you will become merely a memory."

"Hitomi," he lifted her chin so she could see him, "I'm not going to die; I'll come back."

"I know," she sniffed, "but it won't be the same. Long distance relationships never work."

Van watched her as more tears fell from her emerald eyes. He didn't know what he did in past life times to deserve someone like her but he knew that he didn't want anything to break them up. A long distance relationship is hard but he was willing to try. After all, there's a first time for everything and he was willing to try anything.

Suddenly, a familiar turn reached his ears. They weren't close enough to hear the words but the loud base blasted it's beat and they could hear parts of the melody. "Do you want to dance?" Van asked reaching out a hand. 

"Here?" she seemed surprised and embarrassed.

"Why not?" he pulled her toward the center of the stage and wrapped his arm securely around her waist. Their bodies moved to the beat of their hears, while Van whispered the words of the song into her ear. "I could stay awake just to hear you breathing, watch you smile while you are sleeping while you're far away and dreaming.

I could spend my life in this sweet surrender, I could stay lost in this moment forever…Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure. I don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep, cause I'll miss you babe, and I don't want to miss a thing. Cause even when I dream of you, the sweetest dream will never do, I still miss you babe, and I don't wanna miss a thing…"

As the song ended, the stood in each other arms, not wanting to let go. It was like they were afraid that if they did, they would never be able to hold each other again.

"Hey," he murmured, catching her attention. "I love you." 

Bit by bit, he leaned down and kissed her tenderly. He poured all the love he felt inside into the kiss and was rewarded when she responded with just as much passion. When they finally pulled apart, both gasping for a breath, Hitomi reached behind her back, pulling out her pink pendant.

"Here," she helped him put it on, "I want you to have this."

"But isn't this-"

She placed a finder on his lips to let him know that she had more to say. "This is what brought you to me in the beginning. After when you move, whenever you think of me, just put it on and you'll know that I'm thinking of you too." She smiled sadly. "You'll have apart of me wherever you go. And I believe that somehow, this pendant will work it's magic and bring you back to me." 

He kissed her hand and pressed his forehead to hers, "I love you, don't forget that and I promise you, I'll be back."  

***

         "That bastard," Merle thought out loud, "made me cry in front of all those people." She whipped her face as she struggled to run in her high heels. "I didn't even get a chance to write things down for the interview. I'm probably going to get into so much trouble. Damn it!" she cursed frustrated. She stomped her foot and cried out as she felt a sharp pain in her ankle. Before she had time to react, she felt her body tilt side ways. She caught her balance just before her body came into contact with the ground. Looking down at her feet, she saw that her right heel was broken. "There must be some kind of conspiracy to ruin my night," she mumbled to herself as she took of her shoes, "and I bet he's the head of it." 

      "Didn't your mother ever tell you that it's not good to talk behind people's back?" a voice started her, almost making her lose her balance again.

       "Go away, I don't need you to teach me manners," she straightened herself.

       "I'll take that as a no," he said trying to sound casual. "Don't worry, mine didn't neither." 

       "How nice, now leave me alone," she bent down to pick up her shoes, then she realized that she was wearing a skirt and immediately stood up. She turned around to see if he was looking and gave him a look of disgust as she saw him smile. 

       Seeing her displease look, he turned serious, "Merle can we talk?" 

       She felt her heart tighten but said in a cold voice, "I have nothing to say to you."

       "Then let me do the talking and you listen."

       "I have no interest in what you have to say," she continued to walk, hoping he wouldn't follow her.

       "Is this really what you want?" he shouted after her, "to pretend that nothing ever happened?"

       "Your wrong!" she shouted back, afraid that he'd see the tears forming in her eyes, "I don't need to pretend. Nothing happen, you said so yourself."

       "I never-!"

       "But you meant it!" she could feel her voice crack. 'I have to get out of here,' She thought. She started to run bare footed but found that the pain in her ankle was too strong to ignore. Slipping on a rock, she fell forward, scrapping her knee.

       "Merle!" Folken ran towards her helping her up. She pushed his hands away, tilting her face so he couldn't see her.

       "Why do you have to be so stubborn!" he demanded, "Your hurt! Let me help."

       "No, go back to the dance. I don't need your help."

       "Look at me!" he tried to reach for her chin, "What are you so afraid of?"

       She tried to resist, but found that she couldn't. She looked down at her bare feet and said softly. "I'm afraid if I looked into your eyes, I won't be able to pull away," 

Folken felt something wet against his fingertip and realized that she was crying. 

       "Look at me," he pulled her face towards him. When she finally gave in and turned towards him, he bend down and kissed her. This time was not rushed like the last time. He kissed her slowly and passionately, giving her time to respond but also leaving place for her to pull away. He didn't want to surfer the same fate as last time. Merle couldn't help but give into his touch. It was the kiss she had always dreamed of, soft but exciting. To her, he was like a drug. You're warned about what it can do to you and yet, you have this undeniable curiously towards it. Once you're hooked on it, you're in too deep; you can't pull away even if you wanted to.

       "No, I don't want this," she whispered between breath, running her hands through his thick hair. 

       "Really…That's not what your lips are telling me." She could feel him smile against her lips. 

       "Don't…listen to them…they've just missed you." She leaned in for another.

       "…And why would they…miss me?"

       "Because…because…you're a good kisser."

       "Is that it?" he pulled back to look her in the eye.

       "No," she smiled softly.

***

       "Did you like the song?" Folken whispered into her ear as she leaned onto his chest. They snuggled together on the bench in the park, watching the stars in the sky. He watched her tranquil breathing and thanked god that she was back by his side.

       "It was nice," she said with a mischievous smile, "how do I know that it wasn't for another one of your replacement girlfriends?"

       "Merle…"

       She smiled as she felt his body tense. "I know." She snuggled closer, leaning on his shoulder while her hand rested on his chest. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Closing her eyes, she listened to the beat of his heat beat and sighed contently. Who knew being with him could be so wonderful. Screw the dance and the school paper; she couldn't think of another place in the whole universe that she'd rather be at the moment. 

       "You know, I meant every word." 

       "Hmmm…" 

       "I thought about what you said that day about how it wouldn't be fair for you." he continued, "I know that I will never forget her, but I know that there is place in my heart for you. Sora is my past but you are my future."

       "I'm not asking for you to forget about her," she voice trembled.

       "I know."

       "I just want to know that you're with me because you feel something towards me and not because I'm some kind of replacement."

       "I'm with you because I feel strongly towards you. I did mean every word in the song. You are everything"

       "I know," she placed a brief kiss on his lips, "I know…but just one more thing."

       "What?" he asked.

       "Never make you cry again in public."

       "Okay," he chuckled, "I promise you."

*One Year Later*

"Flight 189 to Chicago is now boarding. Will passengers please report to gate C12." A woman accounted over the speakers. "Last call for passengers taking 189 to Chicago. Boarding gate is C12."

Hitomi sighed and looked at her watch. 'His plane should have gotten here half an hour ago, what's taking it so long,' she wondered.

One year has passed since she had last seen Van. He had convinced her not to accompany him to the airport when he left, for things might have gotten too mushy. Since then, they had kept in touch by email and phone calls but they never found the time to visit each other. 

Hitomi had finished her senior year at Gaia with Merle and the rest of the gang while Folken and Dryden left for college. During the past year, she had remained the same with just about the same interests. She had become the co-captain of the track team, making her schedule even more hectic. Thought she was busy, she found time to participated in school activities such as the spring play.

Tugging at her now shoulder length hair, she bit her lower lip nervously as she wondered if Van had changed much. She wondered if his hair was still dark and wide and if he was still had his gorgeous smiled. She pictured that he might be taller but still having the same muscular built. Most importantly, time has drifted them apart. Of course he had promised her that it be like as if he never left, but deep down, she knew that time had changed things. From their last conversations, it was obvious that distance has gotten between them. 

Why was she getting so excited over a simple visit? She didn't even know how long he would be staying. And for all she knew, he probably has this gorgeous girlfriend waiting for him at his new home. There was no doubt in her mind that she wished there wasn't another girl. It's not that she didn't want him to get happy. She wanted him to be happy with her. It was selfish but then again, what woman wasn't selfish when it came to matters of the heart? She had hoped for this every since he left. She wanted him back. But now, she was having second thoughts. Maybe he shouldn't have returned. What was she thinking when she said yes? 

Buried in deep thought, Hitomi didn't hear the speakers announce the arrival of the delayed plane. Only when she heard a familiar voice speak did she realize that she had spaced out. "And who might this lovely lady be waiting for?" Van asked, breaking her thoughts. 

"Hun?" she asked a little confused at first. Turning her head towards the voice, her eyes widened immediately and a large grin appeared on her face. "Van!" she yelled, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Wow," he chuckled, surprised by her action, "I've missed you too." He used his free arm to wrap around her waist as she held him tightly. It felt so good to be back in his arms again. It was one of those rare things where reality is better than you imagined. 'He still smells the same,' she thought happily, 'God, I've missed his smell.' 

"What do you say we go get a cup of coffee and do some much needed catching up?" he suggested when they finally let go of each other. All Hitomi could do was stare at him and smile, 'Yup, he still has his gorgeous smile.' 

***

"Things are pretty much still the same around here," Hitomi sighed and wrapped her hands around the coffee mug, enjoying it's warmth. "Folken and Dryden went off to college but they come back to visit once every few weeks."

"Is Merle and Folken still together?" Van laughed at his own question.

"Actually yeah, they are," she laughed along with him. "They fight a couple of starving hyenas but when it comes to the bottom line, neither manages to stay away from the other too long."

She watched Van smile at her remark from across the table then continued, "Yukari and Amano are still together but Millerna and Dryden broke up. During the summer, Dryden went through this panic section. He was afraid that he and Millerna would split so he asked her to marry him. Millerna, with her fairy tale romance obsession, accepted. During like two weeks of July, they were planning all these things," Hitomi paused to take a sip of her coffee, "then when the heat was over, they realized what fools they were and broke it off."

"It was pretty funny to see their parents freak out about the whole marriage thing," she laughed, "but now, they're just maintaining a 'mutual relationship'." Hitomi raised her hands and formed quotation marks. She saw him smile back at her and sighed contently. Who thought they'd be sitting in the same old coffee shop a year after everything they went through and act like they never left each other's side for a minute. As she studied his face longer, she noticed that Van's hair was now shorter than before. He's shoulders are broader than before and his chin was less pointy. Altogether, he seemed to have lost his boyish look, but he was still (if not more) as good looking than before. Realizing that she had been staring, Hitomi turned away and though of a distraction.    

"OH!" she said thinking of recent events, "you will not believe who was name prom queen and king," she almost spited out the hot drink from laughing so hard, "take a wild guess."

"I don't know," Van shrugged with an amused look on his face.

"Steve Bout and Meredith Robinson! Remember Steve and Meredith from the play?"

Van's expression turned from confusion at first to complete shock. "You mean Steve the assistant director and the Meredith the red head?" he asked amazed. "They are still together?"

"Yup, apparently, they both managed to bring out a hidden side of each other." 

"Wow I guess things really have changed."

Hitomi felt a rush of sadness overcome her from his statement. She saw the same look reflect on Van's face, then lowered her head and stared into the mug. 

"Well you've seemed to have talked about everyone," he said breaking the awkward silence, "tell me, what new with you. I like what you did with the hair." 

She blushed at his remark and thought about what to answer, "I don't really think anything dramatic changed about me. I'm still the same girl that you left." She put her hand on her mouth as soon as she realized what she just said, "I'm sorry Van. That didn't come out right. What I meant is-"

"It's okay, I understand," he reassured her. 

Hitomi was too embarrassed to say anything else. Of course, she had been thinking ever since he left how he could have had the heart to do that to her, but she never meant to say it out loud to his face. She was relieved when he suggested a second later that they go out for a walk.

"You must be happy to finally get away from here," Van said when the crossed the street over to their old high school.

"Yeah," she sighed contently, "but it's weird, all these things that happened in there. We're always so eager to get out, but once the time gets near, you really want it to last longer." She laughed at herself, "I can't believe I just said that."

"I felt like that too." He said studying the old building. "At the beginning, it was just another school that I transferred to with my parents job. I didn't like it much, the place a like a damn maze; you couldn't even find your classes. But then, things change and I meet people."

Hitomi looked at him out of the corner of her eye, wondering if 'people' meant her in particular. "So how was your new school," she shook the thought out of her head and asked him. 

"It's okay." He smiled at her. "It's much smaller than here, a lot quieter, the people are nice." 

"Have you met anyone special?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Van looked at her, surprised by the question. "Actually I did."

"You did?" she felt her heart break.

"No, I'm just kidding." He laughed

"Oh," she said, not finding the joke too funny. 

They started to walk again and he asked her, "So have you decided where you're going to college yet?"

"Yeah, let's just say I'm not getting out of this place anytime soon." She sighed. "Have you?"

"As a matter of fact I did."

"Are your parent's cool with it?"

"We talked and we decided that I'm going to move out." Van said with his hands in his pockets.     

"That's what I'm doing, Merle and I rented this really nice place not far from school," she felt herself wince at the word 'school'. She had finally finished dealing with 12 years of torture, and now she was the beginning of another 4 years. "So what school are you going to," she asked wondering how far it was going to be. 

"I just got the acceptance letter the other day." Van pulled a letter out of his back pocket and handed it to Hitomi.

Hitomi was preparing herself for the big disappointment when she saw a familiar logo. "Um Van, is this what I think it is?" she asked, staring at the envelope. She turned to look at the young man standing next to her. Instead of answering, he just smiled. "Your going to the same college I am?"

"Yeah."

"But-but, how did you know?" she asked, too excited to speak.

"I've been talking to Merle a lot lately," he said simply, "she been filling me in on a lot of things."

"Does this mean what I think it means?" 

"I'm moving back."

Hitomi practically jumped on Van and hugged him. "I can't believe this!" she screamed, praying she was not dreaming. She hugged him for a long time until she realized she was squeezing him. Pulling away, she turned her head from him embarrassed. "I mean," she cleared her throat, "you'll get to see all your old friends, make new ones, start a new life,-"

"Continue an old relationship," he interrupted her.

His words froze Hitomi. Seeing that she didn't reply, he immediately said, "I mean, that is if you're willing."

After a long moment of silence, Hitomi turned to face him. "I…I don't know Van." She sighed, pushing a strand of loose hair behind her ear. 

"Hitomi, silence to me," he said softly, "if your thinking about the possibility of me moving away again, that is not going to happened. I made my decision." He stopped for a second, catching his breath, "but if you met someone else and…"

"No." She assured him, "there's isn't anyone else. There's only you." She admitted blushing. " But I just don't want any chance of losing you again."

"You won't," he pulled her in for a quick hug.

She couldn't help but smile at what he said. Everything she had hoped for was coming true. He's back in her life, and he wants to stay there. Hitomi was going burst with joy. She closed her eyes and slowly leaned over to kiss him.

"Wait," he stopped her.

'Oh no!' she panicked, 'what if he meant just to stay friends and I over reacted.'

"I have something to give you." He presented her with a small box.     

She gave him a questioning look, and then opened the box hesitantly. Inside, laid her link pendant, in perfect shape and shining brightly. Hitomi felt tears form in her eyes, "You kept it all this time?"

"Yeah," Van ran his hand through his hair and blushed a little (A/N: *author melts*). "If I'm not mistaken, I think it did its job," he leaned over and whispered in her ear, "it brought me back." He took the pendant from her hands and put in over her neck. "I want you to have this back." 

"But I gave this to you!" she protested.

"I don't need it anymore.," he said, "now that I'm back with you."

Hitomi smiled at his remark.

"And I plan to stay right here." With that, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly. 

~End~

*** *Bishouji whips away a tear* It's done, it's finally done. *bits her lips to prevent her from crying* my first fanfic is completed. *sighs* it's so sad to see it end. Sniff sniff. Thank you guys so much for reading, reviewing my story (especially those who reviewed every chapter), your emails of encouragement and all the IMs. If I could, I would write a list and thank each one of you individually, but here's so many of you and I'd feel horrible if I forgot someone. But you all know who you are and I love you all!!! Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined getting so many reviews. (Well I dreamt but never thought it could happen) You guys are the best. *hugs all her readers* I'm really unsure of how you liked this last chapter so I'm asking you once and for all to review this last one and tell me what you thought. For those don't know, I have another fic called "Not My Kind." It's very different from this one, but I'm very proud of it none less. And I'm working on another fic that will probably come out some time soon. It's called "A second chance", another one of my H+V. So I hope you decide to go check them out. Thank you all again for being such wonderful readers. I will see you again (hopefully) sometime soon. ~Bishouji88***   

~A Second Chance: Two years after Hitomi left Gaia, everyone's living his or her own lives. The memory of the mysterious girl from the mystic moon and the strange world of Gaia are still fresh in some minds, while others try desperately to forget. What if the two lovers had a chance to reunite? Would it reawaken some old feelings or would they be satisfied with their separated lives? Not your average Escaflowne continuation.


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